The  Boat- Builder  Series. 


I. 

ALL    ADRIFT; 

OB, 

THE    GOLDWING    CLUB. 

n. 

SNUG    HARBOR; 

OB, 

THE    CHAMPLAIN    MECHANICS. 


SQUARE    AND    COMPASS; 

OB, 

BUILDING    THE   HOUSE. 
IV. 

STEM    TO    STERN; 

OB, 

BUILDING    THE    BOAT. 


ALL    TAUT; 

OB, 

RIGGING    THE    BOAT. 

VI. 
READY   ABOUT; 

OB, 

SAILING    THE    BOAT. 


—  -    ^_- 
MMBMI 

'•  WHAT  AI;I:  yor  DOIM;  IT  TIIKKI;  ?  DK.MANDKD  ri-.AUi.."     I>A(;K 


BOSTON, 

LEE-4&SHEPARD 


THE  BOAT-BUILDER  SERIES 


ALL  ADRIFT 


THE    GOLDWING    CLUB 


BY 


OLIVER  OPTIC 


AUTHOR  OF    "YOUNO  AMERICA  ABKOAJ>"    "THE  GREAT  WESTERN  8EBIES" 

"THE  ARMY  AND  NAVY  SERIES"    "THE  WOODVILLE  SERIES"    "THE 

STARRY-FLAG    SERIES"    "THE    BOAT-CLUB    BTORIE8"    "THIS 

UPWARD  AND  ONWARD    SERIES"    "THE  YACHT-CLUB 

8EKIK8"     "THE    LAKE-SHORE   SERIES"    **THR 

KIVEBUALE  STORIES"  ETC.  ETC. 


WITH  EIGHT  ILLUSTRATIONS 


BOSTON 
LEE    AND    SHEPARD    PUBLISHERS 

NEW  YORK 
CHARLES   T.   DILLINGHAM 

1883 


COPYRIGHT,  1882, 
BY  WILLIAM  T.  ADAMS. 


Ml  righto  reserved. 


TO    MY    GRANDSON 

ROBERT    ELMER    RUSSELL 

QCfjt's  Boofe 

IS    AFFECTIONATELY   DEDICATED. 


PREFACE. 


"  A  LL  ADRIFT  "  is  the  first  volume  of  a  new  set 
-^-  of  books,  to  be  known  as  "THE  BOAT-BUILDER 
SERIES."  The  story  contains  the  adventures  of  a  boy 
who  is  trying  to  do  something  to  help  support  the 
family,  but  who  finds  himself  all  adrift  in  the  world. 
He  has  the  reputation  of  being  rather  "wild,"  though 
he  proves  that  he  is  honest,  loves  the  truth,  and  is 
willing  to  work  for  a  living.  Having  been  born  and 
brought  up  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Cham  plain,  he  could 
not  well  avoid  being  a  boatman,  especially  as  his 
father  was  a  pilot  on  a  steamer.  Nearly  all  the  scenes 
of  the  story  are  on  the  water ;  and  the  boy  shows  not 
only  that  he  can  handle  a  boat,  but  that  he  has  inge- 
nuity, and  fertility  of  resource. 

The  narrative  of  the  hero's  adventures  contained  in 
this  volume  is  the  introduction  to  the  remaining  vol- 
umes of  the  series,  in  which  this  boy  and  others  are 
put  in  the  way  of  obtaining  a  great  deal  of  useful 
information,  by  which  the  readers  of  these  books  are 
expected  to  profit.  Captain  Royal  Gildrock,  a  wealthy 

vii 


viii  PREFACE. 

retired  shipmaster,  has  some  ideas  of  his  own  in 
regard  to  boys.  He  thinks  that  one  great  need  of  this 
country  is  educated  mechanics,  more  skilled  labor. 
He  has  the  means  to  carry  his  ideas  into  practice,  and 
actively  engages  in  the  work  of  instructing  and  build- 
ing up  the  boys  in  a  knowledge  of  the  useful  arts.  He 
believes  in  religion,  morality,  and  social  and  political 
virtue.  He  insists  upon  practice  in  addition  to  precept 
and  theory,  as  well  in  the  inculcation  of  the  duties  of 
social  life  as  in  mechanics  and  useful  arts. 

If  the  first  volume  is  all  story  and  adventure,  those 
that  follow  it  will  not  be  wholly  given  up  to  the  details 
of  the  mechanic  arts.  The  captain  has  a  steam-yacht ; 
and  the  hero  of  the  first  story  has  a  fine  sailboat,  to 
say  nothing  of  a  whole  fleet  of  other  craft  belonging 
to  the  nabob.  The  boys  are  not  of  the  tame  sort: 
they  are  not  of  the  humdrum  kind,  and  they  are 
inclined  to  make  things  lively.  In  fact,  they  are  live 
boys,  and  the  captain  sometimes  has  his  hands  full  in 
managing  them. 

With  this  explanation,  the  author  sends  out  the  first 
volume  with  the  hope  that  this  book  and  those  which 
follow  it  will  be  as  successful  as  their  numerous  prede- 
cessors in  pleasing  his  young  friends  —  and  his  old 
friends,  he  may  add,  as  he  treads  the  downhill  of  life. 

DOBCHKSTKB,  MA88.,  Aug.  21,  1882. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I.  PAQB 

A  GROWLING  PASSENGER 13 

CHAPTER  II. 
A  SHORT  AND  DECISIVE  CONFLICT        ....     24 

CHAPTER  III. 
A  BRILLIANT  SCHEME  MADE  POSSIBLE  ....     34 

CHAPTER  IV. 
IN  THE  CABIN  OP  THE  GOLDWING 45 

CHAPTER  V. 
A  BOAT  WITH  A  BAD  REPUTATION        ....      55 

CHAPTER  VI. 
THE  ROBBERY  AT  THE  HOTEL 66 

CHAPTER  VII. 
THE  MAN  THAT  LOOKED  THROUGH  THE  KEYHOLE      .     76 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  COLCHESTER  CLUB  CHANGES  ITS  NAME        .       .      87 

CHAPTER  IX. 

A  WEATHER  HELM  AND  A  LEE  HELM  ....  98 

ix 


X  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  X.  PAGE 

THE  MISSISQUOI  IN  PURSUIT 109 

CHAPTER  XI. 
THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  CHASE 119 

CHAPTER  XII. 
A  ROUGH  TIME  OP  IT  129 

CHAPTER  TCTTT. 
SAFE  UNDER  A  LEE 140 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
EARLY  IN  THE  MORNING 150 

CHAPTER  XV. 
THE  STRATEGY  OF  THE  CHASE       .       .       .       .       .161 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
A  GRAVE  CHARGE  AGAINST  THE  SKIPPER   .       .       .172 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
DORY  DORNWOOD  DECIDES  TO  "FACE  THE  Music"     .    183 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
DORY  LOCKS  ms  PASSENGERS  INTO  THE  CABIN  .       .    194 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
PEARL  HAWLINSHED  RESORTS  TO  VIOLENCE        .       .    205 

CHAPTER  XX. 
MR.  PEPPERS  FINDS  THE  TABLES  TURNED    .       .       .215 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
ANOTHER  ELEMENT  IN  THE  CONTEST     .  .    226 


CONTENTS.  Xi 

CHAPTER  XXII.  PA6B 

THE  GAME  AMONG  THE  SHALLOWS        ....    237 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
HEADED  OFF  ON  BOTH  SIDES 247 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
THBOUGH  VARIED  STRIFE  AND  STRUGGLES  .  .    257 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
WIND  SOUTH-SOUTH-WEST  BLOWING  FRESH".       .       .    268 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
DORY  DORNWOOD  MANCEUVRES  TO  ESCAPE    .       .       .278 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
DORY  MAKES  A  HARBOR  FOR  THE  NIGHT     .       .       .289 

CHAPTER  XXVHI. 
TERRIBLE  INTELLIGENCE  FROM  HOME  ....    300 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 
CAPTAIN  GILDROCK  HAS  DECIDED  OBJECTIONS   .       .    310 

CHAPTER  XXX. 
CAPTAIN    GILDROCK    DILATES    UPON    HIS    NOTABLE 

.    321 


ALL  ADEIFT; 

OB, 

THE    GOLDWING    CLUB. 


CHAPTER   I. 


"~OOY,  I  told  you  to  bring  me  some  pickles," 
-*-<  said  Major  Billcord,  a  passenger  on  a  Lake 

Champlain  steamer,  to  a  boy  in  a  white  jacket, 

who  was  doing  duty  as  a  waiter  at  dinner  in  the 

cabin. 

"  Yes,  sir ;  and  I  brought  them,"  replied  Dory 

Dornwood,  as  he  took  the  dish  of  pickles  almost 

from   under  the  passenger's  nose,  and  placed  it 

quite  under  his  nose. 

"  No  impudence  to  me,  boy  ! "  exclaimed  Major 

Billcord,  as  he  bestowed  a  savage  glance  at  the 

young  waiter. 

13 


14  ALL  ADKIFT;  OR, 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  sir :  I  did  not  mean  to  be 
impudent,"  replied  Dory  meekly. 

"  Waiter,  bring  me  a  piece  of  roast  beef  rare. 
Now,  mind,  I  want  it  rare,"  said  the  passenger 
sitting  next  to  the  major. 

"Yes,  sir;  in  a  moment,  sir,"  added  Dory,  to 
indicate  that  he  heard  the  order. 

"  When  I  send  you  for  any  thing,  you  should 
put  it  where  I  can  see  it,"  added  Major  Billcord 
sternly. 

"  I  thought  I  put  the  pickles  where  you  could 
see  them,"  answered  Dory,  as  he  started  for  the 
pantry  to  obtain  the  roast  beef  rare. 

"  Here,  boy,  stop !  "  called  the  major.  "  Where 
are  you  going  now  ?  Bring  me  the  boiled  onions, 
and  I  want  them  well  done." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  the  waiter,  as  he  darted  after 
the  onions,  and  returned  with  them  in  an  instant ; 
for  he  found  the  dish  in  another  part  of  the  table. 
"  The  boiled  onions,"  he  added,  as  he  placed  them 
beside  the  snappy  passenger's  plate,  so  that  he 
should  be  sure  to  see  them. 

"  Isn't  it  about  time  for  my  roast  beef,  waiter  ?  " 
asked  the  next  gentleman. 

**  In  a  moment,  sir." 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  15 

"These  onions  are  not  half  done,  boy!"  ex- 
claimed the  major.  "I  told  you  to  bring  me 
onions  well  done,  and  not  raw  onions." 

"  I  don't  cook  them,  sir ;  and  I  brought  such  as 
I  find  on  the  table,"  pleaded  Dory,  as  he  started 
to  fill  the  order  of  the  next  passenger. 

"  Here  !  come  back,  boy !  I  want  boiled  onions 
well  done,  and  I  don't  want  any  impudence," 
snarled  the  major. 

Dory  brought  another  dish  of  onions,  and 
placed  them  by  the  side  of  the  gentleman's  plate. 
He  repeated  the  order  of  the  next  passenger  to 
assure  him  that  he  had  not  forgotten  it,  and  was 
in  the  act  of  rushing  for  it,  when  Major  Billcord 
broke  out  again. 

"  These  onions  are  no  better  than  the  others : 
they  are  not  half  cooked.  Now  go  to  the 
steward,  and  tell  him  I  want  boiled  onions  well 
done." 

"  Get  my  roast  beef  first,"  added  the  next  pas- 
senger. 

"  Here,  waiter !  bring  me  a  sidebone  of  chicken, 
some  green  pease,  string-beans,  pickled  beets, 
boiled  cabbage,  a  plate  of  macaroni,  and  any  other 
vegetables  you  may  happen  to  have ;  and  don't  be 


16  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

all  day  about  it,"  said  the  passenger  on  the  other 
side  of  Major  Billcord. 

"  In  a  minute,  sir,"  replied  Dory. 

"  Go  to  the  steward  at  once,  and  tell  him  what 
I  want,"  stormed  the  major. 

"  Waiter,  bring  me  a  plate  of  roast  stuffed  veal, 
with  a  specimen  of  all  the  vegetables  on  the  bill 
of  fare.  Don't  leave  out  any.  If  you  leave  out 
any  of  them,  I  will  travel  by  railroad  the  next  time 
I  go  north,"  shouted  another  passenger. 

Dory  did  not  wait  to  hear  any  more.  He  was 
not  a  waiter  of  great  experience,  and  he  found 
that  the  confusion  of  orders  was  rather  trying  to 
him.  He  went  to  the  carving-table,  delivered  the 
message  of  Major  Billcord  to  the  steward,  and 
called  for  the  orders  he  had  received.  Before  he 
had  his  tray  ready,  the  steward  brought  him  the 
onions ;  and  he  carried  them  with  the  other  arti- 
cles to  the  table. 

"Your  onions,  sir,"  said  he,  as  he  placed  the 
little  dish  where  the  irate  gentleman  could  not 
help  seeing  them. 

While  Dory  was  serving  the  other  passengers, 
whose  orders  he  had  taken,  and  while  half  a  dozen 
others  were  clamorous  for  every  item  on  the  bill 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  17 

of  fare,  Major  Billcord  thrust  his  fork  into  one  of 
the  odoriferous  vegetables  brought  to  him. 

"These  are  not  a  whit  better  done  than  the 
others  were!"  exclaimed  Major  Billcord,  drop- 
ping his  knife  and  fork  in  disgust.  "What  do 
you  mean,  boy,  by  bringing  me  such  onions  as 
these  ?  " 

"The  steward  gave  me  those  onions  for  you, 
sir,"  pleaded  Dory,  who  was  certainly  doing  his 
best  to  please  all  the  passengers  at  the  dinner- 
table  ;  and  the  young  waiter  had  already  learned 
that  this  was  not  one  of  the  easiest  tasks  in  the 
world. 

"Don't  tell  me  that,  you  young  rascal!  You 
haven't  delivered  my  message  to  the  steward," 
growled  the  irate  passenger. 

"  Yes,  sir :  I  told  him  just  what  you  wanted, 
and  he  sent  the  dish  of  onions  to  you,  sir,"  Dory 
explained. 

"  The  steward  would  never  have  sent  me  such 
onions  as  these.  You  haven't  been  to  him  as  I 
told  you.  You  are  an  impudent  young  cub,  and 
you_  are  no  more  fit  for  a  waiter  than  you  are  for 
a  steamboat  captain." 

"  I  brought  the  onions  the  steward  sent ;  and  it 


18  ALL  ADRIFT;    OR, 

isn't  my  fault  that  they  are  not  right,"  said  Dory 
gently,  though  he  did  not  always  speak  and  act 
in  just  that  way. 

"Is  my  dinner  to  be  spoiled  by  the  stupidity 
and  carelessness  of  a  boy?"  demanded  Major 
Billcord.  "  If  I  have  any  influence  on  board  of 
this  boat,  such  blockheads  shall  not  be  employed 
as  waiters." 

"I  will  get  any  thing  you  wish,  sir,"  added 
Dory,  appalled  at  the  remark  of  the  important 
passenger. 

"  Don't  come  near  me  again !  Go,  and  tell  the 
steward  to  send  another  waiter  to  me,"  was  all 
the  reply  the  major  would  give  him. 

Dory  Dornwood  intended  to  deliver  even  this 
message  to  the  steward ;  but  he  was  kept  very  busy 
by  the  wants  of  the  other  passengers,  so  that  he 
could  not  go  at  just  that  minute.  He  had  been 
instructed  to  serve  all  persons  at  the  tables  alike ; 
and  he  was  not  quite  old  enough  and  experienced 
enough  to  comprehend  that  his  instructions  were 
to  be  obeyed  in  a  Pickwickian  sense  on  certain 
occasions. 

Major  Billcord  sat  back  in  his  chair,  and 
watched  the  movements  of  the  boy-waiter  for  the 


THE   GOLDWING   CLUB.  19 

full  space  of  fifteen  seconds,  which  he  doubtless 
interpreted  as  fifteen  minutes.  It  was  not  to  be 
expected  that  he  could  finish,  or  even  go  on 
with,  his  dinner  without  the  boiled  onions  well 
done.  Possibly  he  did  not  care  so  much  for  the 
aromatic  vegetable  as  he  did  for  his  own  sweet 
will.  At  any  rate,  he  would  not  touch  another 
morsel  of  food ;  and,  when  the  fifteen  seconds  had 
fully  expired,  he  was  ready  to  make  another 
demonstration. 

"  Boy,  didn't  I  tell  you  to  go  and  call  the  stew- 
ard, and  tell  him  to  send  me  another  waiter?" 
demanded  Major  Billcord,  as  savagely  as  though 
Dory  had  struck  him  in  the  face. 

"  Yes,  sir,  you  did,  and  I  am  going ;  but  we  are 
all  very  busy,  and  the  passengers  want  a  great 
many  things.  I  am  going  now,  sir,"  replied  Dory, 
who  thought  it  might  be  safer  to  let  the  rest  of 
the  passengers  wait  than  to  anger  so  great  a  mag- 
nate as  the  major. 

Dory  delivered  his  message,  and  the  steward 
uttered  an  exclamation  which  would  have  cost 
him  his  situation  if  Major  Billcord  had  heard  it. 
The  head  of  the  culinary  department  went  to  the 
place  occupied  by  the  important  personage. 


20  ALL  ADRIFT;  OB, 

"If  you  don't  discharge  that  boy  before  sup- 
per-time, there  will  be  trouble,"  said  the  major 
when  the  steward  presented  himself.  "  He  is 
stupid,  careless,  and  impertinent.  He  had  the 
presumption  to  tell  me  that  he  did  not  cook 
the  onions,  and  it  was  not  his  fault  that  they  were 
not  properly  done." 

Possibly  the  steward  might  have  voted  on  the 
same  side  of  the  question,  if  he  had  consid- 
ered it  prudent  to  express  an  opinion;  but  he 
apologized  for  the  cook,  and  said  nothing  about 
the  waiter.  He  explained  that  he  had  been  to 
the  kitchen  for  the  onions,  and  had  sent  the  best 
on  the  boat  to  the  distinguished  passenger. 

"Then  the  young  rascal  gave  them  to  some 
other  person ! "  exclaimed  Major  Billcord.  "  The 
boy  is  not  fit  for  a  waiter." 

"He  is  only  serving  for  a  week  or  two,  while 
one  of  our  regular  waiters  is  away.  He  is  the 
son  of  one  of  the  second  pilots." 

"  Which  one  ? "  demanded  the  angry  passen- 
ger. 

"  Dornwood.  He  says  the  boy  is  a  little  wild, 
and  he  wants  to  get  something  for  him  to  do," 
added  the  steward.  "  The  boy  is  rather  more 


THE   GOLDWENG   CLUB.  21 

than  his  mother  can  manage  when  his  father  is 
away,  as  he  is  all  the  season." 

"  This  is  not  a  reform-school,  and  we  don't 
want  any  such  scallawags  on  the  boat.  But  you 
needn't  tell  Dornwood  that  I  said  any  thing  about 
his  boy,"  added  the  major  in  a  low  tone. 

Of  course  the  steward  would  not  say  any  thing 
on  such  a  delicate  subject.  After  dinner  Dory 
Dornwood  was  called  up  and  discharged.  He 
tried  to  explain  that  he  had  done  his  best,  and 
had  not  spoken  an  impudent  word.  The  steward 
had  been  satisfied  with  him,  but  it  was  impossi- 
ble to  resist  the  influence  of  such  a  man  as  Major 
Billcord. 

Perry  Dornwood  was  the  second  pilot  of  one 
of  the  night  boats  for  this  week ;  and  Dory  could 
not  run  to  his  father  with  his  grievance,  for  he 
felt  that  he  had  a  grievance.  Possibly  it  would 
have  done  no  good  if  he  had.  His  father  had 
had  some  trouble  with  him,  and  he  was  more 
inclined  to  believe  the  worst  that  could  be  said 
of  his  son  than  the  best. 

.Perry  Dornwood  the  pilot  had  rather  forced 
himself  into  the  position  he  occupied.  He  was  a 
good  enough  pilot ;  but  he  drank  too  much  whis- 


22  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

key  to  be  fully  reliable.  He  was  never  drunk, 
at  least  not  when  on  duty ;  but  he  was  generally 
pretty  well  soaked  in  liquor.  The  captain  of  his 
steamer  did  not  believe  in  him,  and  Perry's  posi- 
tion had  been  nearly  lost  several  times ;  but  some 
kind  of  an  influence  still  kept  him  in  his  place. 

The  pilot  lived  in  Burlington.  He  had  a  wife 
and  two  children,  a  son  and  a  daughter.  Mrs. 
Dornwood  was  a  most  excellent  woman,  but  she 
was  almost  discouraged  under  the  trials  and  diffi- 
culties which  beset  her  path  in  life.  Her  husband 
did  not  half  provide  for  his  little  family ;  and  it 
was  all  the  poor  mother  could  xdo  to  scrub  along, 
feeding  and  clothing  the  boy  and  girl. 

The  pilot  had  work  only  a  portion  of  the  year 
on  the  lake,  and  he  was  not  disposed  to  find  other 
employment  when  not  so  engaged.  Even  the 
money  he  did  earn  did  not  all  find  its  way  into 
the  expenditures  for  taking  care  of  the  family. 
It  was  feared  by  the  good  woman  that  her  hus- 
band gambled. 

Dory — his  name  was  Theodore — was  now  four- 
teen years  old.  His  mother  had  explained  to  him 
the  condition  of  the  family  finances.  They  had 
nothing,  and  Perry  Dornwood  owed  many  debts. 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  23 

The  boy  had  been  wild,  but  those  who  knew  him 
best  said  there  was  nothing  bad  about  him.  He 
had  looked  for  work,  and  his  father  had  found  it 
for  him.  Now  he  had  losj;  his  place ;  and  his  dis- 
charge was  a  very  heavy  blow  to  him,  though  he 
was  wild. 


24  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 


CHAPTER  II. 

A  SHORT  AND  DECISIVE  CONFLICT. 


DORNWOOD  appeared  to  be  in  no 
hurry  to  get  home  after  his  discharge.  The 
steamer  stopped  at  Burlington  after  his  fate  had 
been  decided,  and  the  steward  expected  him  to 
take  his  things  on  shore.  The  ex-waiter  evidently 
had  other  views,  for  he  kept  out  of  sight  until 
after  the  boat  had  left  the  wharf. 

When  the  steamer  reached  Plattsburg,  Dory 
Dornwood  went  on  shore.  He  visited  all  the 
hotels  in  the  place,  and  endeavored  to  obtain  a 
situation  as  a  waiter,  or  as  any  thing  else  —  he 
did  not  care  what  —  by  which  he  could  earn  some 
money  to  help  support  the  family.  He  'could 
obtain  no  situation,  though  he  heard  of  a  place 
a  few  miles  out  in  the  country  where  a  boy  was 
wanted.  Dory  had  no  money,  —  not  a  penny;  for 
his  father  collected  his  wages.  He  decided  to 
visit  the  place  at  once,  so  as  to  be  the  first  to 
apply  for  the  position. 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  25 

After  he  had  walked  a  couple  of  miles,  and  had 
one  more  to  go,  he  came  to  a  piece  of  woods 
through  which  the  road  extended.  He  began  to 
feel  very  tired,  for  he  had  done  a  day's  work 
before  he  landed  from  the  steamer.  It  was  now 
nearly  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening.  He  had 
eaten  no  supper,  and  not  much  dinner;  for  the 
events  in  the  cabin  had  taken  off  his  appetite. 
With  no  money  and  no  friends,  he  was  not  very 
clear  as  to  where  his  supper  was  to  come  from. 
The  question  of  a  lodging  was  involved  in  quite 
as  much  doubt. 

The  weather  was  warm;  and,  if  he  was  com- 
pelled to  lodge  in  the  woods,  it  would  not  be 
the  first  time  he  had  slept  in  the  open  air. 
Though  he  had  rather  more  than  his  fair  share 
of  pride,  any  farmer  would  give  him  a  meal  of 
victuals  for  the  asking.  But  just  now  he  was 
tired,  and  he  wanted  rest.  He  walked  a  short 
distance  from  the  road,  and  seated  himself  on  a 
rock.  It  was  not  comfortable;  and  he  stretched 
his  body  upon  the  ground,  which  was  covered 
with  a  clean  carpet  of  fine  needles. 

Of  course  he  could  not  help  thinking  of  the 
great  event  of  the  day;  and,  while  he  was  con- 


26  ALL  ADRIFT  j    OR, 

sidering  it,  he  fell  asleep.  Possibly  his  slumber 
continued  an  hour ;  and  it  might  have  continued 
another  hour,  or  even  all  night,  if  he  had  not 
been  disturbed  by  footsteps  near  him.  The  nails 
in  the  heel  of  a  heavy  boot  grated  upon  a  flat 
rock,  and  this  was  the  noise  that  awakened  the 
tired  sleeper. 

Dory  half  rose  from  his  reclining  posture,  and 
discovered  a  man  moving  stealthily  towards  the 
road.  He  was  creeping  with  the  utmost  care: 
and  probably  the  scraping  of  his  boot  against  the 
rock  had  admonished  him  to  be  more  careful ;  at 
any  rate  he  acted  as  though  such  were  the  case. 

The  seeker  for  a  situation  was  wide  awake  as 
soon  as  he  was  awake  at  all.  He  sat  on  the 
ground  watching  the  stranger  as  he  crawled 
towards  the  road.  It  was  quite  dark,  but  the 
opening  made  by  the  highway  admitted  some 
light  from  the  stars.  Dory  thought  the  stranger 
had  something  in  his  hand.  If  the  man  had 
walked  right  along,  the  boy  would  have  thought 
nothing  of  the  fact  that  he  was  in  the  woods  after 
dark ;  but  he  was  creeping  like  a  cat,  and  Dory's 
curiosity  was  aroused. 

He  got  upon  his  feet,  and  walked  after  the 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  27 

mysterious  stranger.  He  did  not  care  to  show 
himself,  and  he  kept  one  of  the  big  trees  between 
himself  and  the  man  all  the  time.  Near  the  road 
a  fringe  of  bushes  had  sprung  up,  and  in  their 
foliage  the  man  concealed  himself.  Dory  had 
obtained  a  better  view  of  what  the  stranger  had 
in  his  hand ;  and,  though  he  was  not  sure  of  it,  he 
thought  it  was  a  gun.  Was  the  man  out  hunting 
in  the  dark?  There  were  no  deer  so  near  the 
town,  and  it  was  hardly  likely  that  the  person  was 
gunning  in  the  darkness. 

Dory  continued  to  creep  from  tree  to  tree  until 
he  could  not  have  been  more  than  a  couple  of  rods 
from  the  concealed  night  wanderer.  If  he  had 
not  believed  the  man  had  a  gun  in  his  hand,  he 
would  have  left  his  concealment  and  gone  about 
his  business;  for  he  had  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  the  affair,  whatever  it  was,  did  not  concern 
him.  But  he  felt  a  little  bashful  about  leaving, 
lest  the  gun  might  go  off,  and  the  shot  accident- 
ally strike  him. 

The  next  minute  he  was  confident  that  he  heard 
footsteps  in  the  road.  Before  he  had  time  to  sat- 
isfy himself  fully  on  this  point,  the  gun  in  the 
hand  of  the  stranger  went  off;  and  its  going-off 


28  ALL  ADRIFT;  OK, 

proved  to  Dory  that  it  was  a  gun,  as  he  had  sup- 
posed, and  even  believed. 

"  Help  J  help !  "  shouted  some  one  in  the  road ; 
and  the  voice  proved  that  there  was  some  one 
there. 

Scarcely  had  the  word  been  uttered  before  the 
man  in  the  bushes  broke  from  his  place  of  conceal- 
ment, and  rushed  towards  the  road.  Dory  was 
too  much  interested  in  the  affair  to  remain  at  a 
distance  any  longer.  It  was  none  of  his  business ; 
but  it  was  plain  enough  that  the  mysterious 
stranger  had  fired  his  gun  at  the  person  who 
shouted  for  assistance  from  the  road.  Dory  rea- 
soned, that,  as  he  had  fired  the  gun  once,  he  could 
not  fire  it  again  without  reloading  it ;  and  he  had 
not  had  time  to  do  this. 

But  there  was  some  sort  of  wickedness  in  prog- 
ress, and  Dory  ran  with  all  his  might  to  the  road ; 
and,  even  if  he  had  not  run  with  all  his  might,  it 
would  not  have  taken  him  a  great  while  to  accom- 
plish two  rods.  When  he  came  to  the  opening, 
he  saw  one  man  spring  upon  another.  The  former 
dropped  the  gun  he  carried  in  his  hand,  and  it 
was  plain  that  he  had  fired  the  shot. 

The  two  men  clutched  each  other,  though  one 


THE   GOLDWING  CLUB.  29 

of  them  tried  to  say  something  to  the  other. 
Dory  had  lots  of  blood  in  his  veins,  and  it  began 
to  boil  as  though  it  was  over  a  hot  fire.  All  his 
sympathies  were  with  the  man  who  had  been 
attacked.  The  other  had  crept  upon  him  like  a 
thief  in  the  night,  had  fired  at  him,  and  then  had 
followed  up  the  attack  with  a  hand-to-hand  on- 
slaught. 

"Don't,  Pearl!"  pleaded  the  man  who  had 
been  attacked.  "  Consider  what  you  are  doing ! 
You  will  ruin  yourself !  You  are  sure  to  be  dis- 
covered, even  if  you  kill  me  I " 

Dory  did  not  wait  to  hear  any  more.  He  had 
a  strong  impulse  to  take  a  hand  in  the  affair, 
though  it  was  none  of  hi*  business.  The  stranger 
who  had  wakened  him  from  his  slumbers  was  back 
to  him,  and  the  boy  thought  his  opportunity  at 
the  present  instant  was  too  good  to  be  lost. 

The  supperless  wanderer  flung  himself  upon 
the  shoulders  of  the  assailant,  and  grappled  him 
around  the  throat  with  all  his  strength.  He  was 
well  aware,  that,  if  he  failed  at  the  first  dash,  his 
chance  would  not  only  be  gone,  but  he  would  be 
in  danger  of  being  entirely  wiped  out  by  his  in- 
tended victim. 


30  ALL  ADRIFT;    OE, 

Dory  was  not  a  very  heavy  boy,  but  he  was 
remarkably  active.  He  dug  his  knees  into  the 
back  of  the  man,  and  in  a  moment  he  brought 
him  to  the  ground.  The  stranger  then  turned  his 
attention  to  his  assailant,  and  he  made  short  work 
of  him.  He  seemed  only  to  shake  himself,  and 
Dory  went  half  way  across  the  road. 

The  ex-waiter  was  on  his  feet  again  in  an  in- 
stant. He  looked  at  the  assailant,  and  saw  that 
he  had  a  sort  of  cloth  mask  on  his  face.  As  the 
boy  sprang  to  his  feet,  the  stranger  was  in  the  act 
of  picking  up  his  gun.  He  snatched  it  from  the 
ground,  and  then  fled  into  the  woods.  The  con- 
flict appeared  to  be  ended. 

Dory  puffed  like  a  fish  out  of  water.  He 
had  been  laboring  under  tremendous  excitement, 
which  is  not  at  all  strange;  for  it  would  have 
stirred  the  blood  of  any  one  to  see  another  at- 
tacked with  a  deadly  weapon. 

Dory  watched  the  woods,  and  rather  expected 
that  a  bullet  would  soon  be  travelling  from  that 
direction  towards  him  and  the  person  who  had 
been  attacked.  But  his  companion  in  the  road 
did  not  seem  to  be  at  all  alarmed :  at  least  he 
did  not  make  any  haste  to  seek  a  safer  position. 


THE   GOLDWTNG  CLtJB.  31 

"It  is  dangerous  being  safe  just,  here,"  said 
Dory,  when  he  had  collected  his  scattered 
thoughts,  -and  realized  that  it  was  time  some- 
thing was  done.  "I  think  we  had  better  move 
on,  or  that  gun  will  go  off  again." 

"I  don't  think  it  will  go  off  again,"  replied 
the  man  in  the  road,  in  a  very  sad,  rather  than 
an  alarmed  or  indignant  tone. 

"Didn't  that  man  fire  at  you?  Won't  he  do 
it  again?"  demanded  Dory. 

"  I  don't  think  he  intended  to  hit  me ;  though 
he  fired  at  me,  or  he  fired  his  gun.  I  don't  believe 
he  fired  it  at  me,"  answered  the  stranger  in  a 
confused  manner. 

"If  he  fired  at  you,  of  course  he  meant  to  hit 
you.  What  in  the  world  should  he  fire  at  you  for 
if  he  didn't  mean  to  hit  you?"  asked  Dory, 
wondering  at  the  reasoning  of  his  companion  in 
the  road. 

"I  am  confident  I  am  right;  but  we  won't 
say  any  thing  more  about  it  just  now,"  added 
the  stranger,  who  seemed  to  be  struggling  with 
other-emotions  than  those  of  fear  or  indignation. 

"  That's  very  queer,"  said  Dory,  puzzled  at  the 
strange  conduct  of  the  man  who  had  been  fired 


32  ALL   ADEIFT;    OE, 

at.  "  I  think  you  will  get  a  bullet  through  your 
head  if  you  stay  here  much  longer." 

"  I  am  not  afraid  of  a  bullet ;  but  I  don't  think 
I  had  better  stay  here  any  longer,"  replied  the 
stranger.  "Which  way  are  you  going,  young 
man  ?  " 

"I  was  going  over  to  a  place  they  call  Bel- 
zer's." 

"That  is  a  mile  from  here.  Were  you  going 
there  when  that  gun  was  fired  ? "  asked  the  man 
eagerly. 

"Well,  not  just  at  that  minute.  I  was  tired 
out,  and  I  lay  down  in  the  woods  to  rest  me.  I 
was  going  over  to  Belzer's  to  see  if  I  could  get 
a  place  to  work.  I  "  — 

"  You  are  too  late :  they  hired  a  boy  at  Belzer's 
this  afternoon,"  added  the  man. 

"That's  just  my  luck,"  added  Dory,  discour- 
aged at  this  intelligence. 

"  The  luck  shall  not  go  against  you  this  time. 
You  have  no  errand  at  Belzer's  now ;  and,  if  you 
will  walk  to  Plattsburgh  with  me,  I  will  make  it 
all  right  with  you;  and  you  shall  not  be  sorry 
that  you  did  not  find  a  place  at  Belzer's,  which 
is  not  a  proper  place  for  a  boy  like  you." 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  33 

"If  there  is  no  place  there  for  me,  and  it  is 
not  the  place  for  me,  I  shall  return  to  Platts- 
burgh,"  answered  Dory,  as  he  started  with  the 
stranger  in  the  direction  from  which  he  had  come 
when  he  took  to  the  woods. 

In  a  short  time  they  came  out  into  the  open 
country ;  and  there  was  no  longer  any  danger  that 
the  attack  from  the  mysterious  assailant  would  be 
renewed. 

"Young  man,  you  have  done  me  a  great  ser- 
vice ;  and  you  have  done  a  greater  one  to  another 
person,"  said  the  stranger. 

"Who's  that?"  asked  Dory,  puzzled  by  the 
strange  speech  of  his  companion. 

"  I  mean  the  one  who  fired  the  gun  at  me," 
answered  his  fellow-traveller. 

"  That's  funny !"  exclaimed  Dory.  "You  and 
he  seem  to  be  fooling  with  each  other.  He  shot 
at  you,  and  didn't  mean  to  hit  you ;  and  now  I 
have  done  him  a  great  service.  I  suppose  you 
don't  mean  to  pay  me  for  the  service  I  did  him," 
laughed  Dory. 

"  I  should  be  willing  to  pay  you  more  for  what 
you  did  for  him  than  for  what  you  did  for  me." 

Dory  was  bewildered. 


34  ALL  ADRIFT;   OR, 


CHAPTER  III. 

A  BRILLIANT   SCHEME  MADE  POSSIBLE. 

"TT^vORY  began  to  think  his  companion  was  a 
•*-^  lunatic.  Certainly  he  was  a  Christian  man, 
for  he  seemed  to  have  nothing  but  kindness  in  his 
heart  towards  his  late  assailant. 

"I  don't  want  any  pay  for  what  I  did  for 
either,"  said  Dory  Dornwood,  as  he  saw  his  com- 
panion thrust  his  hand  into  his  pocket,  and  he 
feared  that  his  joke  had  been  taken  in  earnest. 

""We  will  talk  about  that  when  we  get  to 
Plattsburgh.  Will  you  tell  me  your  name,  young 
man?" 

"  My  name  is  Theodore  Dornwood,  though  al- 
most everybody  calls  me  Dory.  But  I  don't  care 
what  they  call  me,  if  they  don't  call  me  too  late 
to  supper,  or  don't  call  me  at  all,  as  nobody  did 
to-night,"  replied  Dory.  And  an  emphatic  wrench- 
ing at  his  stomach,  just  at  the  moment  he  spoke, 
compelled  him  to  repeat  that  ancient  witticism. 


THE   GOLDWING   CLUB.  35 

"  You  have  had  no  supper,  Dory  ?  "  demanded 
his  new  friend,  with  much  sympathy  in  his  tones. 

"  Not  a  bit,  and  not  much  dinner,"  added  Dory. 
"  Major  Billcord  spoiled  my  dinner.  And  I  dare 
say  he  charges  me  with  spoiling  his  dinner :  but 
I  didn't ;  it  was  the  cook." 

The  curiosity  of  his  companion  was  excited, 
and  Dory  told  the  whole  story  of  his  experience 
as  a  waiter  at  dinner  that  day.  In  answering  the 
questions  of  the  stranger,  he  told  the  history  of 
himself  and  his  family.  He  enlarged  upon  his 
efforts  to  obtain  a  situation,  and  declared  that  he 
wanted  to  do  something  to  help  his  mother,  and 
make  things  easier  for  her. 

Just  as  he  was  finishing  his  narrative,  they 
reached  the  front  of  a  farmhouse.  The  stranger 
led  the  way  to  the  door,  and  knocked.  Presently 
the  door  was  opened  by  a  man  with  a  lamp  in 
his  hand.  Dory  wondered  what  his  companion 
wanted  there ;  for  he  had  not  spoken  of  making  a 
call  on  the  way  to  the  town. 

"  Ah !  is  that  you,  Basil  Hawlinshed?  "  said  the 
occupant  of  the  house,  as  the  light  from  his  lamp 
fell  upon  the  face  of  the  stranger,  —  a  stranger  to 
Dory,  though  he  did  not  appear  to  be  such  to  the 


36  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

man  of  the  house.  "  I  am  glad  to  see  you.  Come 
in!" 

"  Thank  you,  Neighbor  Brookbine.  I  am  sorry 
to  trouble  you :  but  this  young  man  with  me  has 
not  been  to  supper  yet ;  and  it  makes  my  stomach 
turn  somersets  to  travel  with  any  one  who  has 
not  been  to  supper  when  it  is  after  nine  o'clock  in 
the  evening." 

"  Come  in  !  come  in,  Neighbor  Hawlinshed  ! 
though  I  suppose  you  are  to  be  no  longer  my 
neighbor.  The  boy  shall  have  the  best  supper  we 
can  get  up  for  him  at  this  time  of  night." 

Mr.  Hawlinshed  —  for  this  appeared  to  be  the 
name  to  which  he  answered  —  and  Dory  followed 
him  into  the  house.  When  he  had  gone  to  n^ake 
preparations  for  the  supper,  Dory's  companion  led 
him  to  one  side  of  the  room. 

"  Will  you  do  me  a  favor,  Dory  ?  "  said  Mr. 
Hawlinshed. 

"  I  will  try  with  all  my  might  to  do  it,"  replied 
Dory. 

"  Don't  say  one  word  about  what  happened  in 
the  woods  while  you  are  in  this  house,"  said 
Mr.  Hawlinshed  earnestly,  and  with  much  emo- 
tion. 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  37 

"  Oh,  that's  an  easy  one !  "  replied  Dory  gayly. 
"  I  could  do  that,  and  only  half  try." 

"Be  very  sure  you  don't  speak  a  word  about 
the  matter,  or  even  hint  at  it  in  the  most  distant 
manner,"  continued  Mr.  Hawlinshed  with  painful 
emphasis. 

"Not  a  word  or  a  hint,  sir.  No  one  shall 
squeeze  it  out  of  me  with  a  cider-press,"  protested 
Dory. 

Mr.  Brookbine  came  into  the  room,  and  Mr. 
Hawlinshed  tried  to  compose  himself.  The  talk 
of  the  two  men  was  upon  subjects  in  which  the 
boy  felt  no  interest.  He  was  more  concerned 
about  his  supper  than  about  the  affairs  of  the  two 
speakers.  But  he  learned  that  Mr.  Hawlinshed 
had  been  a  farmer,  and  had  just  sold  his  farm  for 
forty-five  hundred  dollars  in  cash.  He  was  going 
to  another  part  of  the  State  to  engage  in  the  lum- 
ber business. 

Nothing  was  said  which  afforded  Dory  a  clew 
to  the  strange  event  in  the  woods.  He  fancied  it 
had  some  connection  with  the  money  the  farmer 
had  received  for  his  farm.  The  hungry  boy  was 
called  into  another  room  by  Mrs.  Brookbine  to  eat 
his  supper.  He  found  a  plentiful  meal  on  the 


38  ALL  ADRIFT;  OK, 

table,  and  he  did  ample  justice  to  it.  While  he 
was  eating,  the  farmer's  wife,  who  was  a  motherly 
sort  of  woman,  plied  him  with  questions ;  and  he 
answered  all  those  that  related  to  himself,  but  he 
was  extremely  careful  not  to  betray  the  confidence 
of  his  new  friend. 

Dory  felt  like  a  new  creature  when  he  had  fin- 
ished his  supper,  which  he  thought  was  quite  good 
enough  to  have  suited  Major  Billcord ;  though  he 
was  sure  that  it  would  not  have  suited  him,  for 
the  simple  reason  that  he  was  never  suited  with 
any  thing.  Mr.  Hawlinshed  offered  to  pay  for 
the  meal,  and  Farmer  Brookbine  felt  insulted  by 
the  proposition.  The  visitor  explained  that  he 
should  not  have  offered  to  pay  for  his  own  supper, 
but  he  had  brought  an  entire  stranger  into  the 
house.  Mr.  Brookbine  declared  that  he  always 
gave  a  meal  of  victuals  to  any  one  who  needed  it. 
With  many  thanks  the  visitors  took  their  leave, 
and  resumed  their  walk  to  town.  In  less  than 
half  an  hour  they  were  at  a  hotel  in  Plattsburgh. 

"  I  can't  stay  here,  Mr.  Hawlinshed,"  said  Dory, 
as  they  entered  the  house.  "  I  have  no  money  to 
pay  my  bill." 

"  Do  you  think  I  am  a  heathen,  that  I  won't  pay 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  39 

your  bill  after  the  service  you  have  done  me?" 
asked  Mr.  Hawlinshed  with  a  smile. 

"I  don't  want  anybody  to  pay  for  me,"  pro- 
tested Dory. 

"  Don't  talk  so,  my  boy,"  added  his  new  friend. 
"  Come  to  my  room,  for  I  want  to  talk  with  you." 

Dory  assented,  though  he  had  set  his  teeth 
against  taking  any  thing  that  looked  like  charity. 
He  followed  Mr.  Hawlinshed  up-stairs,  where  it 
appeared  that  he  had  a  room.  It  contained  a 
trunk,  a  valise,  and  other  baggage. 

"  Dory,  you  have  rendered  me  a  service  that 
you  cannot  understand ;  and  I  am  glad  you  can- 
not. I  should  feel  mean  to  the  end  of  my  life  if 
I  did  not  attempt  to  make  some  slight  return  for 
it,"  said  Mr.  Hawlinshed,  as  he  seated  himself  at 
a  table.  "I  don't  think  you  saved  my  life,  for  I 
don't  believe  my  life  was  in  danger  for  a  mo- 
ment." 

"I  don't  think  I  saved  your  life,  but  I  think 
your  life  has  been  in  danger.  Why,  the  fellow 
might  have  hit  you  by  accident,  even  if  he  didn't 
mean  to,"  replied  Dory.  "But  the  villain  went 
at  you  as  though  he  meant  to  tear  you  in  pieces 
after  he  had  fired  the  gun." 


40  ALL  ADRIFT;    OR, 

"  It  is  hardly  worth  while  to  argue  the  question. 
I  am  very  confident  of  what  I  say.  My  life  has 
not  been  in  danger,  but  my  money  was  in  great 
peril.  I  had  forty-seven  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
in  my  pocket  when  that  person  attacked  me,"  con- 
tinued Mr.  Hawlinshed. 

"Jerusalem!"  exclaimed  Dory,  who  did  not 
remember  that  he  had  ever  before  been  near  so 
much  money  in  all  his  life. 

"  I  should  have  lost  that  money  if  you  had  not 
saved  it,  Dory.  This  was  the  point  I  was  coming 
to.  Don't  ask  me  any  questions,  for  I  don't  want 
to  answer  them." 

"I  won't  ask  any,  if  you  don't  want  me  to," 
added  Dory,  who  was  very  much  mystified  by  the 
occurrences  of  the  evening. 

"  So  far  as  I  know  and  believe,  you  are  the  only 
person  who  saw  the  affair  in  the  woods.  The 
three  who  took  part  in  the  affray  are  the  only 
persons  on  earth  who  know  any  thing  about  it," 
added  Mr.  Hawlinshed. 

"  I  did  not  see  or  hear  anybody  around  while  I 
was  in  the  woods,"  replied  Dory.  "I  don't  be- 
lieve anybody  else  knows  about  it." 

"  That  is  very  lucky,  and  I  am  only  sorry  that 


THE  GOLDWING  CLTJB.  41 

you  happened  to  witness  the  sad  affair.  Now, 
Dory,  I  don't  want  any  other  person  to  know  any 
thing  about  it." 

"  Nobody  shall  find  out  any  thing  about  it  from 
me,"  protested  the  boy.  "You  used  me  very 
handsomely,  and  got  a  good  supper  for  me  when 
I  should  have  had  to  feed  on  wind  if  I  hadn't 
come  across  you." 

Mr.  Hawlinshed  looked  the  boy  in  the  face ;  for 
he  suspected  that  Dory  was  making  game  of  him 
when  he  weighed  so  insignificant  a  thing  as  a 
supper  against  the  help  he  had  given  him  in  the 
woods.  He  took  out  a  large  pocket-book,  which 
appeared  to  be  filled  with  bank-bills.  From  them 
he  selected  several  bills,  and  tendered  them  to 
Dory. 

"What's  that?"  asked  the  boy,  as  he  looked 
suspiciously  at  the  bills*  "  I  don't  want  any 
money  for  any  thing  I  have  done." 

"Here  is  one  hundred  and  five  dollars,"  con- 
tinued Mr.  Hawlinshed.  "  The  five  dollars  is  to 
pay  any  expenses  you  may  incur  in  getting  home, 
so  tbat  you  may  have  the  hundred  when  you  get 
there." 

Dory  looked  at  tie  money,  and  the  temptation 


42  ALL  ADRIFT  ; .  OR, 

to  take  it  was  very  great.  He  could  not  bring 
himself  to  accept  money  for  doing  a  kind  act  to  a 
person  who  needed  his  assistance.  On  this  ground 
he  stoutly  refused  to  touch  the  bills. 

"  Not  for  saving  my  life  or  preventing  me  from 
being  hurt,  Dory,  but  for  saving  my  money.  I 
shall  be  very  unhappy,  and  feel  mean,  if  you  don't 
take  the  money.  If  I  were  rich,  I  should  insist 
upon  your  taking  thousands.  This  is  a  very  small 
sum  for  the  service  you  have  renderal,  for  saving 
me  from  a  loss  which  would  have  defeated  the 
business  enterprise  I  have  in  view.  Take  it,  Dory, 
for  my  sake,  if  not  for  your  own.  It  will  be  a 
great  help  to  your  mother,"  persisted  Mr.  Haw- 
linshed. 

It  looked  easier  to  Dory  than  at  first.  He  had 
saved  his  companion's  money,  and  prevented  him 
from  losing  forty-seven  hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 
But  it  took  another  half  an  hour  of  argument  to 
satisfy  Dory  that  he  was  not  doing  a  mean  thing 
in  taking  the  bills.  He  took  them  at  last,  and  his 
companion  seemed  to  be  happy  in  the  fact  that  he 
had  done  so. 

Dory  felt  rich  enough  to  buy  out  the  New  York 
Central  Railroad,  or  to  become  the  proprietor  of 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  43 

half  the  land  that  bordered  on  Lake  Champlain. 
He  had  an  idea  of  buying  out  the  steamer  on 
which  Major  Billcord  had  caused  his  discharge. 
At  any  rate,  he  must  buy  out  something  that 
would  float  on  the  lake,  for  he  was  about  half  boy 
and  half  boat. 

He  put  the  money  into  the  old  wallet  he  car- 
ried ;  and  he  doubted  if  all  the  money  it  had  ever 
contained,  even  before  it  came  into  his  possession, 
would  equal  tfce  amount  he  had  just  deposited  in 
one  of  its  compartments.  He  had  scarcely  re- 
turned the  treasure  to  his  pocket,  before  he 
thought  of  the  use  to  which  he  would  apply  the 
whole  or  a  part  of  the  money.  It  was  a  brilliant 
scheme.  He  had  nursed  it  in  his  imagination  as 
an  unattainable  enterprise,  but  now  the  money 
in  his  pocket  rendered  it  possible. 

"I  feel  better  now,  Dory,"  said  Mr.  Hawlin- 
shed.  "I  have  given  you  a  feather's  weight 
where  I  owe  you  a  ton,  but  I  hope  the  time  will 
come  when  I  can  do  better.  I  am  going  to  write 
a  letter  now,  and  I  want  you  to  deliver  it  for 
me  to-morrow.  Will  you  do  so  ?  " 

"  To  be  sure  I  will,"  replied  Dory  warmly. 

"  I  shall  leavg  by  the  boat  going  south  in  the 


44  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

morning;  and  I  want  this  letter  delivered  after 
I  am  gone,"  added  Mr.  Hawlinshed,  as  he  began 
to  write  on  a  sheet  of  paper  on  the  table. 
Dory  considered  his  brilliant  scheme. 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  45 


CHAPTER  IV. 

IN  THE  CABIN  OF  THE  GOLDWING. 

"  TTERE  is  the  letter,  Dory,"  said  Mr.  Hawlin- 
shed  when  he  had  sealed  and  directed  the 
envelope.  "You  will  have  to  go  about  a  mile 
beyond  the  place  where  we  met  last  night.  Mr. 
Pearl  Hawlinshed,"  he  added,  reading  the  address 
upon  the  letter. 

"  Pearl !  "  repeated  Dory,  as  he  took  the  letter 
and  read  the  name  for  himself. 

"  That  is  the  name ;  and  the  person  to  whom 
it  is  addressed  is  my  son,"  replied  the  writer  of 
the  missive. 

"  Your  son ! "  exclaimed  Dory,  looking  intently 
into  the  face  of  his  new  friend. 

"Yes:  is  there  any  thing  very  strange  about 
that  ?  He  is  my  only  son,  my  only  child ;  and  his 
mother  has  been  dead  many  years." 

"  Your  son  !  "  repeated  Dory,  as  though  he  was 
unable  to  comprehend  the  relation. 


46  ALL  ADRIFT;    OR, 

"Pearl  Hawlinshed;  and  he  is  my  son.  Is 
there  any  thing  very  strange  about  it?"  asked 
the  father,  looking  anxiously  at  Dory. 

"But  he  is  the  man  who  fired  the  gun  at  you, 
and  then  pitched  into  you,"  added  Dory. 

Mr.  Hawlinshed  manifested  a  great  deal  of  emo- 
tion. He  dropped  into  his  chair,  from  which  he 
had  risen  when  he  finished  his  letter.  He  ap- 
peared to  be  greatly  astonished  that  his  compan- 
ion had  discovered  the  relationship  between  him- 
self and  the  person  to  whom  the  letter  was 
addressed. 

"How  do  you  know  all  that,  Dory?"  asked 
Mr.  Hawlinshed,  trying  to  calm  himself. 

"  I  heard  you  call  him  '  Pearl '  before  I  took  a 
hand  in  the  affair,"  replied  Dory  candidly.  "I 
don't  know  that  I  should  ever  have  thought  of 
the  name  again  if  you  hadn't  given  me  this  letter." 

"  Then  it  is  very  unfortunate  that  I  gave  you 
the  letter ;  but  I  wished  to  be  sure  that  it  reached 
him,"  said  Mr.  Hawlinshed,  very  much  perplexed 
at  the  situation.  "You  know  more  than  I  sup- 
posed, and  I  am  very  sorry  for  it.  The  terrible 
truth  is  no  longer  a  secret  between  my  son  and 
myself." 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  47 

"  I  ought  not  to  have  let  on  that  I  knew  his 
name,"  added  Dory,  who  felt  that  he  had  made  a 
mistake. 

"  Since  you  knew  the  fact,  I  am  glad  that  you 
spoke.  You  know  that  it  was  my  son  that  at- 
tacked me,  and  who  attempted  to  take  the  money 
from  me,"  continued  the  poor  father  bitterly. 

"But  it  shall  be  all  the  same  as  though  I  did 
not  know  any  thing  about  it,"  protested  Dory. 
"  After  one  year  or  ten  you  will  find  that  I  can 
keep  a  secret." 

"  I  am  willing  to  trust  you,  Dory ;  and  I  should 
be  willing,  even  if  I  could  help  myself,  and  were 
not  entirely  in  your  power,"  added  the  unhappy 
father.  "  Now  you  will  want  to  know  something 
about  the  reason  why  he  attacked  me,  and  tried 
to  get  my  money  from  me." 

"No,  sir:  I  will  not  ask  any  thing  about  the 
difficulty.  I  suppose  you  and  your  son  could  not 
agree,  and  I  know  another  case  just  like  it.  It 
is  your  family  affair,  and  it  is  none  of  my  busi- 
ness." 

"ft  would  take  me  hours  to  tell  the  whole 
story,  and  it  is  too  painful  to  dwell  upon.  You 
will  keep  the  secret,  Dory  ?  " 


48  ALL  ADRIFT;    OR, 

"  I  will  never  hint  that  I  ever  heard  your  name. 
I  will  leave  you  now,  so  that  no  one  shall  know 
that  I  ever  saw  you,  or  at  least  that  I  ever  had 
any  thing  to  do  with  you." 

"But,  Dory,  when  you  tell  your  mother  about 
the  money  you  have,  you  will  have  to  explain 
where  you  got  it.  I  don't  want  you  to  tell  any 
lies  about  it." 

"I  shall  not  give  her  all  the  money,  and  per- 
haps not  any  of  it,"  said  Dory. 

"  Not  give  it  to  her  ?  I  have  taken  you  for  a 
boy  who  wanted  to  help  his  mother;  and  this 
view  of  your  character  has  led  me  to  trust  you 
more  than  I  would  if  you  had  not  told  me  your 
story." 

"  But  I  shall  use  the  money  for  her  benefit.  I 
am  not  going  to  fool  it  away.  I  shall  make  a 
business  with  it  which  will  enable  me  to  help 
her,"  replied  Dory  with  enthusiasm. 

"  What  is  the  business,  Dory  ?  " 

Dory  hesitated.  There  was  a  contingency 
about  it,  and  he  was  afraid  that  Mr.  Hawlinshed 
would  not  approve  his  plan.  He  was  not  alto- 
gether clear  in  regard  to  it  himself,  and  he  did 
not  care  to  commit  himself. 


THE   GOLDWING   CLUB.  49 

"  I  should  like  to  keep  that  as  my  secret.  I  am 
going  to  help  iny  mother ;  but  I  am  not  sure  that 
I  can  make  the  plan  work,  and  I  don't  want  to 
say  any  thing  about  it  yet." 

"  But  you  will  have  to  explain  where  you  got 
your  money,"  suggested  Mr.  Hawlinshed.  % 

"I  will  promise  never  to  say  one  word  about 
what  happened  in  the  woods.  I  will  give  this 
letter  to  your  son  to-morrow  morning,  and  then 
I  will  bury  the  whole  thing  forever.  No  one 
shall  ever  know  where  the  money  came  from." 

Mr.  Hawlinshed  had  a  great  many  doubts,  as 
well  he  might  have  had.  But  he  was  in  a  very 
trying  situation  himself.  His  relations  with  his 
son  were  unpleasant.  He  had  no  malice  or  ill 
feeling  towards  Pearl,  and  all  he  wanted  was  to 
conceal  the  sad  act  of  the  young  man. 

Dory  was  very  tired;  and  he  could  not  help 
gaping,  he  was  so  sleepy.  He  shook  hands  with 
his  new  friend,  who  said  they  might  never  meet 
again.  If  he  returned  to  the  vicinity  of  Burling- 
ton, he  should  certainly  look  him  up ;  and  he 
hoped  he  should  find  him  an  honest,  industrious, 
and  prosperous  young  man.  Dory  left  the  room. 

He  kept  one  hand  in  his  pocket  on  the  wallet 


50  ALL   ADRIFT,    OR, 

which  contained  the  treasure  that  was  to  open  up 
the  brilliant  scheme  by  which  he  hoped  to  sup- 
port his  mother  and  sister.  He  went  out  of  the 
hotel  without  any  definite  idea  of  where  he  in- 
tended to  go.  It  was  ten  o'clock  by  this  time. 
He  was  not  penniless  now,  as  he  had  been  before. 
He  was  rich  enough  to  spend  the  night,  or  even 
a  week  or  a  month,  at  the  Witherill  House ;  but 
the  idea  of  going  there,  or  to  any  other  public 
house,  did  not  occur  to  him. 

Though  he  had  five  dollars  for  "  expenses,"  he 
could  not  think  of  paying  out  a  dollar,  or  even 
half  a  dollar,  for  a  night's  lodging.  That  would 
do  very  well  for  Mr.  Vanderbilt,  but  not  for  him. 
It  would  be  throwing  money  away.  He  walked 
down  to  the  lake.  He  was  not  so  sleepy  as  he 
had  been.  Stirring  himself  had  waked  him  up. 
As  he  came  to  the  wharf,  his  brilliant  scheme 
leaped  into  his  head  again. 

During  his  stop  at  Plattsburgh  the  day  before, 
he  had  seen  a  sailboat,  which  was  to  be  sold  at 
auction  with  other  effects  of  its  deceased  owner. 
He  had  looked  the  craft  over,  and  asked  a  great 
many  questions  about  her.  Though  she  was 
twenty-five  feet  long,  and  was  handsomely  fitted 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  51 

up,  the  knowing  ones  said  she  would  not  bring  a 
hundred  dollars  at  auction. 

She  could  not  have  cost  less  than  five  or  six 
hundred,  but  she  had  a  bad  name.  Her  late 
owner  had  been  drowned  in  consequence  of  her 
upsetting.  People  said  it  was  the  fault  of  the 
boat.  She  carried  a  lee  helm,  and  upset  when 
there  was  no  excuse  for  her  doing  so.  She  had 
been  known  to  tip  over  three  times,  and  she  was 
sure  to  drown  whoever  bought  her. 

Dory  looked  her  over  very  carefully.  He  had 
been  about  all  sorts  of  boats  ever  since  he  was  a 
small  boy.  In  fact,  he  was  a  natural  water-bird, 
almost  as  much  so  as  a  duck.  He  was  a  born 
mechanic,  and  his  taste  not  less  than  his  associa- 
tions had  led  him  to  apply  his  mechanical  genius 
to  boats  and  boating. 

The  name  of  the  boat  was  the  Goldwing. 
Dory  had  examined  her  the  day  before,  and  he 
"  took  no  stock  "  in  her  bad  name.  He  was  very 
sure  that  any  boat  would  behave  badly  if  rigged 
and  ballasted  as  the  Goldwing  was.  He  wished 
he  owned  her,  or  that  he  could  obtain  the  use  of 
her  for  the  season.  He  was  confident  that  he 
could  redeem  her  reputation. 


52  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

In  connection  with  this  boat  had  bubbled  up 
his  brilliant  scheme.  If  he  had  her  at  Burlington, 
or  at  several  other  points  on  the  lake,  he  could 
make  five  dollars  a  day,  if  not  six  or  eight,  by 
taking  out  parties.  Such  a  business  was  more 
to  his  taste,  and  afforded  a  better  field  for  his 
talents,  than  tending  table  in  the  cabin  of  a 
steamer. 

But  it  was  no  use  to  think  of  the  Goldwing. 
If  five  dollars  would  have  bought  her,  he  had  not 
the  money  to  invest  in  the  enterprise.  He  had  no 
friend  upon  whom  he  could  call  for  aid  in  such  a 
speculation.  He  might  as  well  think  of  buying 
and  running  one  of  the  large  steamers  on  the 
lake. 

But  since  dark  that  evening  the  whole  aspect  of 
his  fortunes  had  changed.  He  had  over  a  hun- 
dred dollars  in  his  pocket,  and  the  Goldwing  was 
to  be  sold  the  next  day.  He  did  not  wish  to  put 
all  his  little  fortune  into  a  boat ;  but  he  was 
determined  to  have  the  boat,  if  she  was  knocked 
down  for  a  sum  within  his  means. 

The  Goldwing  lay  at  the  wharf.  Dory  sur- 
veyed her  as  well  as  he  could  in  the  darkness,  and 
then  he  stepped  on  board  of  her.  She  had  been 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  53 

built  on  purpose  for  her  late  owner,  on  a  model 
somewhat  different  from  her  class  of  boats  on  the 
lake ;  and  this  created  a  prejudice  against  her  in 
the  boating  fraternity.  Dory  had  seen  her  fre- 
quently under  sail,  and  he  was  delighted  with  her. 

She  was  decked  over  forward,  and  had  a  little 
cabin  in  this  part  of  the  craft.  The  doors  which 
opened  into  this  apartment  were  not  locked,  and 
Dory  went  into  it.  He  lighted  a  match,  and  dis- 
covered a  lantern  hanging  from  a  deck-beam.  He 
lighted  it,  and  found  that  the  cabin  was  furnished 
with  two  berths,  in  each  of  which  was  a  berth- 
sack.  As  he  looked  over  this  part  of  the  fitting- 
up  of  the  boat,  he  gaped  again. 

He  might  as  well  sleep  there  as  in  any  other 
place.  He  had  no  fear  that  the  ghost  of  the  late 
owner  would  disturb  him.  He  arranged  the  doors 
so  that  they  could  not  be  opened  without  waking 
him,  and  then  lay  down  in  one  of  the  berths.  He 
was  going  to  think  over  his  brilliant  scheme  ;  but, 
before  he  had  done  much  thinking,  he  fell  asleep. 

He  did  not  wake  till  the  swash  of  the  night 
boat  from  the  south  caused  the  Goldwing  to 
bump  against  the  wharf.  It  was  five  o'clock  in 
the  morning.  He  felt  in  his  pocket,  and  found 


54  ALL  ADRIFT;  OB, 

that  his  money  was  safe.  He  slept  another  hour 
after  this,  and  then  went  on  shore.  He  got  his 
breakfast  at  a  restaurant,  and  then  started  to 
deliver  the  letter. 

He  reached  his  destination  in  about  an  hour. 
He  inquired  for  Pearl  Hawlinshed,  and  found 
him  without  any  difficulty.  He  was  about  twenty- 
two  years  old.  He  did  not  look  like  the  ferocious 
being  he  expected  to  find  in  a  man  who  was 
wicked  enough  to  fire  a  gun  at  his  father.  He 
was  pale,  thoughtful  in  his  look,  and  was  rather 
inclined  to  melancholy.  Dory  thought  he  had 
enough  to  think  about,  and  that  it  was  his  duty 
to  be  melancholy. 

Pearl  asked  him  where  he  got  the  letter,  and 
Dory  said  it  had  been  given  him  by  a  man  in 
Plattsburgh  to  bring  out  to  him.  He  did  not 
wait  to  answer  any  questions ;  and  he  felt  in 
honor  bound  not  to  inquire  into  any  thing  relating 
to  Mr.  Hawlinshed,  father  or  son. 

He  returned  in  season  to  attend  the  auction. 
It  was  like  a  funeral  party.  Dory  made  the  sec- 
ond bid  for  the  boat. 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  55 


CHAPTER  V. 

A  BOAT  WITH  A  BAD   REPUTATION. 

T3EOPLE  looked  at  the  boy  as  he  continued 
-*-  to  bid  on  the  Goldwing.  The  auctioneer 
asked  him  some  questions  touching  his  ability  to 
pay  for  the  boat  if  she  should  be  knocked  off  to 
him.  Dory  declared  he  would  pay  for  the  Gold- 
wing  on  the  spot  if  she  was  sold  to  him,  and  his 
bid  was  accepted. 

There  was  only  one  other  bidder,  and  he  looked 
daggers  at  Dory  every  time  he  increased  upon  his 
bid.  This  man  evidently  expected  to  buy  the 
boat  for  fifteen  or  twenty  dollars,  and  that  there 
would  be  no  one  to  bid  against  him.  When  the 
figures  reached  thirty  dollars,  the  other  bidder 
protested  that  he  was  bidding  against  nothing,  for 
no  one  supposed  that  a  mere  boy  could  pay  for 
the  boat.  Until  this  time  Dory  had  not  seen  the 
ofher  person  who  wanted  the  Goldwing. 

"If  he  don't  pay,  Mr.  Hawlinshed,"  said  the 


66  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

auctioneer,  "we  will  put  it  up  again,  and  then 
you  can  get  the  boat  at  your  own  price ;  for  there 
don't  appear  to  be  anybody  else  that  wants  the 
craft." 

When  Dory  heard  the  name  of  the  other  bidder, 
he  turned,  and  saw  that  it  was  Pearl  Hawlinshed. 
He  was  greatly  surprised,  and  in  his  confusion 
he  came  very  near  letting  the  auctioneer  knock 
off  the  boat  to  his  rival  in  the  contest  for  the 
Goldwing.  But  he  put  in  another  bid;  and 
Pearl  followed  him  up  sharply  until  forty  dol- 
lars was  reached,  when  he  declared  that  he  would 
not  give  any  more  for  the  boat.  Then  it  was 
knocked  off  to  Dory  at  forty-two  dollars. 

Pearl  Hawlinshed  looked  at  the  purchaser  very 
savagely,  as  though  he  had  done  him  an  ill  turn 
in  bidding  for  the  boat.  But  there  was  still  a 
hope  that  he  could  not  pay  for  it.  Dory  went 
into  the  cabin  of  the  Goldwing,  and  counted  out 
the  money ;  for  he  did  not  care  to  show  all  he  had 
in  his  wallet.  He  was  out  of  sight  but  a  moment ; 
for  his  money  was  all  in  ten-dollar  bills,  except 
the  five  which  he  had  changed  to  pay  for  his 
breakfast. 

"  Here  is  the  money,"  said  Dory,  tendering  the 


THE  GOLDWING   CLFB.  57 

amount  to  the  auctioneer.  "  Please  to  give  me  a 
receipt." 

"  You  have  lost  the  boat,  Hawlinshed,"  said  the 
auctioneer,  as  he  took  the  money.  "  If  you  will 
come  into  the  steamer  office,  I  will  give  you  a 
receipt,  young  man.  What  is  the  name  ?  " 

"  Theodore  Dornwood." 

"  Do  you  live  in  Plattsburgh  ?  " 

"  No,  sir :  in  Burlington." 

"Are  you  buying  the  boat  for  yourself?" 

"  You  may  make  the  receipt  out  to  me,"  replied 
Dory. 

"  He  is  buying  her  for  some  other  person,"  said 
Pearl  Hawlinshed.  "  I  should  like  to  know  who 
it  is." 

The  auctioneer  did  not  ask  any  more  questions, 
but  led  the  way  into  the  steamboat  office,  where 
he  gave  the  required  receipt.  Dory  felt  that  he 
was  now  the  owner  of  the  Goldwing.  If  he  had 
owned  one  of  the  Champlain  steamers,  he  would 
not  have  felt  any  better.  He  was  anxious  to  get 
on  board  of  her,  and  start  her  on  the  way  to  Bur- 
lington. As  he  went  out  of  the  office,  he  found 
Pearl  Hawlinshed  at  the  door. 

"  Are  you  not  the  boy  that  brought  me  a  letter 


58  ALL  ADRIFT;   OR, 

this  morning?"  asked  he,  looking  at  the  new 
owner  of  the  Goldwing  with  a  scowl. 

"  I  carried  a  letter  to  you  this  morning,"  replied 
Dory,  not  particularly  pleased  with  the  manner  of 
Pearl. 

"Where  did  you  get  that  letter?"  demanded 
Pearl  in  a  very  lordly  and  overbearing  tone. 

"  A  man  gave  it  to  me ;  and  I  promised  to  give 
it  to  you  myself,  "  answered  Dory.  "  That  is  the 
whole  of  it,  and  nothing  more  need  be  said  about 
the  matter." 

"You  said  you  were  buying  this  boat  for  an- 
other man,"  continued  Pearl. 

"I  didn't  say  so.  I  have  not  said  any  thing 
about  who  I  was  buying  her  for,"  replied  Dory, 
moving  towards  the  side  of  the  wharf  where  the 
Goldwing  lay. 

"  Yes,  you  did !  Don't  lie  about  it,"  said  Pearl 
in  a  very  offensive  way. 

"  I  said  nothing  of  the  kind,"  added  Dory. 

"  Didn't  he  say  he  was  buying  the  Goldwing  for 
another  man,  Mr.  Green?"  continued  Pearl,  ap- 
pealing to  the  auctioneer. 

"No,  he  did  not,  Hawlinshed,"  answered  the 
auctioneer.  "I  asked  him  if  he  was  buying  the 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  59 

boat  for  himself,  and  he  said  I  might  make  out 
the  receipt  to  him.  That  was  all  that  was  said 
about  it." 

"  Well,  it  is  all  the  same  thing :  he  gave  the  in- 
ference that  he  was  acting  for  somebody  else.  I 
should  like  to  know  who  you  bought  her  for," 
persisted  Pearl. 

"  I  have  bought  the  boat,  and  paid  for  her ;  and 
I  have  nothing  more  to  say  about  the  matter," 
replied  Dory  sharply,  as  he  walked  towards  the 
boat. 

"  This  is  a  matter  that  concerns  me,  and  I  want 
to  know  about  it,"  added  Pearl,  following  the 
new  owner  of  the  Goldwing  to  the  boat.  "  You 
brought  me  a  letter  this  morning ;  and  now  you 
have  bought  this  boat,  when  I  was  the  only  man 
in  this  vicinity  that  thought  of  such  a  thing  as 
buying  the  Goldwing." 

"What  has  the  boat  to  do  with  the  letter?" 
asked  Dory,  who  thought  it  was  a  little  strange 
that  he  had  come  in  contact  with  the  son  of  his 
new  friend  in  connection  with  the  Goldwing. 

"That  is  what  I  .want  to  know,"  answered 
Pearl  gruffly.  "You  see,  I  don't  believe  that  a 
boy  like  you — for  you  don't  look  like  the  son  of 


60  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

a  gentleman  —  came  over  here  from  Burlington  to 
buy  that  boat.  If  anybody  over  there  had  wanted 
her,  he  wouldn't  have  sent  a  boy  over  here  to  buy 
her  for  him." 

"  You  can  believe  any  thing  you  like  about  it," 
added  Dory,  as  he  stepped  into  the  standing-room 
of  the  Goldwing. 

"I  want  to  know  who  gave  you  that  letter," 
said  Pearl,  pushing  the  matter. 

"  I  suppose  the  man  that  wrote  it  gave  it  to  me. 
You  got  the  letter,  and  you  ought  to  know  more 
about  it  than  I  do." 

"  I  know  all  about  him." 

"  Then  I  can't  tell  you  any  thing." 

"But  I  want  to  connect  that  man  with  this 
boat." 

"You  can  connect  them  if  you  like.  Was  there 
any  thing  about  the  Goldwhig  in  the  letter?" 
asked  Dory,  who  was  quite  as  much  puzzled  as 
Pearl  appeared  to  be. 

"  None  of  your  business  whether  there  was  or 
not?"  exclaimed  Pearl  savagely;  and  the  letter 
was  evidently  not  a  pleasant  topic  to  him.  "I 
am  not  here  to  answer  questions." 

"  Nor  I  either ;  and  here  we  are  equal,"  replied 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  61 

Dory,  as  he  took  the  tiller  of  the  sailboat  from 
the  forward  cuddy,  and  inserted  it  in  the  rudder- 
head. 

"The  man  that  gave  you  that  letter  got  you 
to  buy  this  boat  for  him,"  said  Pearl.  "  He  knew 
I  wanted  her,  if  you  did  not." 

"  The  man  that  wrote  that  letter  never  said  a 
word  to  me  about  this  boat,  or  any  other ;  and  I 
did  not  buy  her  for  him,"  replied  Dory,  startled 
by  the  statement  of  the  waspish  young  man. 

Dory  was  afraid  the  events  of  the  day  might 
connect  him  with  the  elder  Mr.  Hawlinshed,  who 
had  taken  the  steamer  for  the  south  while  he 
was  absent  in  delivering  the  letter.  He  had 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  Pearl  Hawlinshed 
was  a  "  hard  case,"  as  he  must  be,  or  he  could 
not  have  assaulted  his  father  in  the  woods.  There 
was  plainly  a  quarrel  between  father  and  son,  and 
he  did  not  wish  to  know  any  thing  more  about 
it.  All  he  cared  about  the  matter  was  to  keep 
the  secret  inviolate. 

"  I  suppose  if  you  did  it  you  would  lie  about 
it"  added  Pearl. 

"  You  should  not  judge  me  by  yourself,"  added 
Dory  quietly. 


62  ALL  ADKIFT;    OR, 

"  Don't  give  me  any  of  your  impudence,  or 
there  will  be  a  broken  head  round  here  some- 
where," snarled  Pearl. 

Dory  did  not  want  a  broken  head,  and  he  did 
not  want  to  give  the  son  of  his  friend  a  broken 
head;  and  he  did  not  want  to  quarrel  with  the 
'waspish  fellow.  He  concluded  that  it  would  be 
the  wisest  policy  to  say  no  more,  and  he  went  .on 
with  his  preparations  for  getting  the  boat  under 
way.  The  wind  was  blowing  very  fresh  from  the 
north-west. 

The  Goldwing  had  a  bad  reputation  in  Platts- 
burgh,  and  he  had  his  doubts  about  going  across 
the  lake  in  her.  He  could  see  the  white-caps 
down  Cumberland  Bay,  and  he  decided  to  put 
a  reef  in  the  mainsail.  Pearl  Hawlinshed  was 
not  disposed  to  leave.  He  had  obtained  no  satis- 
faction from  the  purchaser  of  -the  Goldwing,  and 
he  evidently  believed  there  was  some  trickery  by 
which  he  had  been  prevented  from  purchasing 
the  boat  at  his  own  price. 

"  That  boat  will  drown  you  if  you  go  out  in 
her  to-day,"  said  Pearl ;  and  he  seemed  to  realize 
some  satisfaction  from  the  prospect. 

"I   may  not  go  out    in  her  to-day,"  replied 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  63 

Dory,  glancing  at  the  white-caps  down  the 
bay. 

"  You  were  a  fool  to  buy  her,"  added  Pearl. 

"Am  I  a  greater  fool  than  you  would  have 
been  if  you  had  bought  her  ?  "  asked  Dory. 

"I  know  just  what  she  wants  to  make  her  all 
right." 

"So  do  I." 

Just  then  a  small  steamer  was  seen  coming  up 
the  bay.  She  was  laboring  heavily  in  the  rough 
waves,  and  both  of  them  gave  their  attention  to 
her.  She  was  evidently  in  the  hands  of  a  skipper 
who  did  not  know  how  to  manage  her.  The  wind 
had  breezed  up  within  an  hour,  and  she  had  been 
caught  out  in  the  lake.  She  was  within  half  a 
mile  of  the  wharf;  but  Pearl  Hawlinshed  de- 
clared that  she  would  go  to  the  bottom  before 
she  reached  the  pier. 

He  was  quite  excited  about  the  steamer,  and 
left  the  Goldwing  to  walk  down  to  the  end  of  the 
wharf,  where  he  could  get  a  better  view  of  the 
struggling  craft.  Dory  was  glad  to  see  him  move 
off*  He  was  as  glad  to  get  rid  of  him  as  Sindbad 
was  of  the  Old  Man  of  the  Sea.  He  did  not  like 
Pearl:  in  fact,  from  what  he  knew  of  him,  he 
hated  him. 


64  ALL  ADEIFT;  OR, 

Dory  had  already  hoisted  his  reefed  mainsail. 
It  was  shaking  and  pounding  with  tremendous 
energy,  as  he  sat  in  the  standing-room,  waiting  to 
decide  whether  or  not  he  should  put  out  into  the 
lake.  But  he  wanted  to  get  rid  of  Pearl,  and  he 
hoped  he  should  never  see  him  again.  While  his 
disagreeable  companion  was  walking  down  the 
wharf,  he  cast  off  the  bow  line  which  held  the 
Goldwing  to  the  pier,  and  hoisted  the  jib. 

The  sails  caught  the  breeze,  and  the  Goldwing 
darted  off  from  the  wharf  as  though  she  had  been 
shot  from  a  gun ;  but  she  did  not  exhibit  any 
tendency  to  go  over  under  her  present  sail.  He 
ran  her  outside  of  the  breakwater ;  and,  when  he 
had  the  boat  in  a  sheltered  place,  he  let  go  the 
anchor. 

He  had  got  rid  of  Pearl  Hawlinshed,  and  he 
was  entirely  satisfied  with  himself  on  this  account. 
He  had  the  Goldwing  by  himself  now,  and  he 
immediately  proceeded  to  make  another  examina- 
tion of  the  boat  and  her  furnishings.  He  got  at 
the  ballast,  and  arranged  it  to  his  mind.  The 
fault  in  the  rig  he  could  not  correct,  but  he 
thought  he  could  overcome  the  difficulty  in  this 
direction  in  carrying  sail. 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB. 


"  Hallo,  Dory  Dornwood  !  " 

It  was  the  voice  of  Corny  Minkfield;  and  11 
came  from  the  little  steamer,  which  had  no\\ 
passed  out  of  danger  under  the  breakwater. 


66  AT.T.   ADBIFT;    OK, 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  BOBBEKY  AT   THE  HOTEL. 

•OEARL  HAWLINSHED  found  that  his  pre- 
diction  in  regard  to  the  little  steamer  was  not 
verified.  She  did  not  go  to  the  bottom  in  spite 
of  her  bad  management.  It  was  no  fault  of  her 
skipper  that  she  did  not,  for  he  had  certainly 
done  his  best  to  sink  her.  Dory  recognized  her  as 
a  boat  that  had  been  kept  for  all  sorts  of  uses  at 
Burlington. 

If  Pearl  was  not  satisfied  with  what  had  passed 
between  him  and  the  new  skipper  of  the  Gold- 
wing,  it  was  too  late  to  do  any  thing  about  it  now. 
The  boat  was  off,  and  he  was  confident  that  her 
skipper  had  left  the  wharf  to  avoid  him ;  for  why 
should  he  prefer  to  lie  at  anchor  at  the  breakwater 
when  her  former  moorings  were  so  much  more 
convenient  ? 

Pearl  Hawlinshed  had  been  a  wayward  boy. 
He  had  worked  on  his  father's  farm;  he  had 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  67 

tended  bar  at  a  saloon;  he  had  worked  on  the 
steamers  on  the  lake ;  and  now  he  evidently  de- 
sired to  try  his  hand  at  boating.  If  the  Goldwing 
was  worth  any  thing,  she  was  certainly  worth 
forty  dollars;  and  it  is  difficult  to  see  why  he 
limited  himself  to  this  sum.  Perhaps  he  had  no 
money  to  buy  her,  since  he  had  failed  to  relieve 
his  father  of  the  amount  in  his  possession. 

The  Goldwing  was  gone,  and  there  was  nothing 
to  keep  him  on  the  wharf.  He  walked  up  to  the 
Witherill  House,  where  his  father  had  stopped 
the  night  before.  He  was  well  acquainted  there, 
and  he  immediately  found  himself  in  demand  as 
soon  as  he  entered  the  office.  There  appeared  to 
be  a  considerable  excitement  about  the  house. 

"You  are  just  the  man  I  want  to  see,  Pearl 
Hawlinshed,"  said  the  landlord,  as  he  entered  the 
office. 

"  Well,  what  is  wanted  of  me  ?  "  asked  Pearl. 

"Where  has  your  father  gone,  Pearl?"  asked 
the  landlord,  as  though  he  felt  a  great  interest  in 
the  question. 

"  That  is  more  than  I  know,"  replied  Pearl. 

"  But  he  took  the  boat  going  south  this  morn- 
ing. Don't  you  know  where  he  has  gone  ?  " 


68  ALL  ADRIFT;    OB, 

"  He  is  going  into  a  lumber  speculation  in  Law- 
rence County :  that's  all  I  know  about  it.  He  is 
going  to  lose  all  his  money  if  he  can;  and  I 
reckon  he  can,"  replied  Pearl  roughly. 

"  Do  you  know  who  the  boy  was  that  was  with 
him  last  night,  Pearl?  He  was  a  young  fellow 
about  fourteen  years  old.  He  came  into  the  house 
with  your  father,  and  went  up-stairs  with  him." 

"  I  don't  know  who  he  is.  What's  the  matter?  " 
asked  the  graceless  son,  wishing  to  know  more 
before  he  committed  himself. 

"A  man  was  robbed  of  a  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  in  the  house  last  night.  He  had  the  room 
next  to  your  father;  and  the  boy  was  seen  in 
the  hall  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening.  We 
thought  he  might  know  something  about  the 
money,"  replied  the  landlord. 

"  I  have  no  doubt  he  knows  all  about  it,"  added 
Pearl,  delighted  to  connect  the  purchaser  of 
the  Goldwing  with  a  crooked  transaction;  for 
he  had  no  doubt  that  the  boy  who  was  with 
his  father  had  obtained  the  money  with  which  he 
bought  the  boat  by  stealing  it.  "  This  explains 
the  whole  matter.  It  is  all  as  clear  as  any  thing 
can  be  now." 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  6( 

"  What  is  clear,  Pearl  ?  "  asked  the  landlord. 

"  The  boy  who  was  with  my  father  last  nigh' 
has  just  purchased  the  Goldwing,  poor  Lapham'i 
boat;  and  very  likely  she  will  drown  the  bo] 
before  noon,  as  she  did  Lapham." 

"What  has  all  this  to  do  with  the  robbery?  : 
would  rather  have  given  a  hundred  and  fifty  dol 
lars  than  have  the  thing  happen  in  my  house.  Wha 
has  the  boat  to  do  with  the  money  lost,  Pearl  ?  " 

"  Why,  the  boy  paid  cash  for  the  boat ;  plankec 
it  right  down  on  the  nail  the  moment  the  boa 
was  knocked  off  to  him,"  answered  Pearl,  chuc 
kling  his  satisfaction  at  finding  Dory  in  such  i 
scrape. 

"  Paid  cash  for  the  boat,  did  he  ?  But  who  i 
the  boy  ?  Does  he  belong  in  Plattsburgh  ?  "  aske( 
the  landlord,  beginning  to  see  the  relation  of  th< 
boat  to  the  money. 

"The  boy  says  his  name  is  Theodore  Dorn 
wood,  and  that  he  lives  in  Burlington." 

"  Dornwood !  "  exclaimed  the  landlord.  "  Tha 
was  the  name  of  the  pilot  that  wrecked  the  Ai 
'Sable  last  night." 

"Wrecked  the  Au  Sable?"  repeated  Pear 
curiously. 


70  ALL   ADRIFT  ;    OR, 

"  Haven't  you  heard  the  news?  " 

"  I  haven't  heard  any  such  news  as  that.  Is 
she  really  wrecked?  I  used  to  work  on  that 
boat,"  added  Pearl,  opening  his  eyes  very  wide. 

"  Where  have  you  been  all  the  morning  ?  It 
has  got  to  be  an  old  story  by  this  time.  The 
Au  Sable  was  run  on  shore,  and  sunk.  No  tine 
was  lost;  but  several  were  injured,  —  how  many, 
I  don't  know." 

"But  how  came  she  ashore?  It  wasn't  even 
foggy  last  night,"  said  Pearl. 

"That's  the  mystery.  The  boat  ran  on  to  a 
point  of  rocks.  The  report  thinks  the  pilot  in 
charge  was  trying  to  run  the  boat  over  the  land. 
His  name  was  Dornwood ;  and  he  must  have  been 
either  drunk  or  asleep,  or  both.  But  all  this  is 
neither  here  nor  there.  What  about  this  boy? 
He  may  be  the  son  of  this  pilot  for  aught  we 
know." 

"  I  don't  know  any  Dornwood.  He  was  not  a 
pilot  in  her  when  I  was  on  the  Au  Sable." 

"  How  do  you  know  that  the  boy  who  was  with 
your  father  bought  the  Goldwing,  Pearl?"  in- 
quired the  landlord,  who  had  told  his  news  and 
lost  his  interest  in  it  till  another  uninformed  per- 


THE   GOLDWING  CLUB.  71 

son  came  along.  "I  don't  want  to  accuse  any 
person  of  robbing  my  house  without  the  means 
of  proving  the  charge." 

"  Oh,  it's  all  straight,  you  may  depend  upon  it! " 
replied  Pearl.  "  I  thought  the  boy  looked  like  a 
young  rascal,  and  now  I  know  that  he  stole  the 
money.  Of  course  it  is  no  sale,  so  far  as  the  boat 
is  concerned.  How  is  that?"  asked  Pearl,  who 
seemed  to  realize  for  the  first  time,  that,  if  the 
money  paid  for  the  Goldwing  was  stolen,  it  would 
have  to  be  returned  to  the  rightful  owner. 

"  I  should  say  it  would  be  no  trade  under  the 
circumstances.  But  you  don't  tell  me  how  you 
know  it  was  this  boy  that  was  with  your  father 
last  night  in  my  house,"  said  the  landlord  impa- 
tiently. 

"  I  don't  know  that  he  was  in  your  house  with 
my  father.  He  was  with  my  father  last  night, 
for  he  told  me  so.  He  brought  me  a  letter  from 
my  father  this  morning.  When  we  were  bidding 
on  the  Goldwing,  I  found  it  was  the  same  boy. 
That's  how  I  know  it ;  and  there  is  no  mistake 
about  it,"  added  Pearl. 

"  It  looks  as  though  there  might  be  something 
in  it.  At  any  rate  we  will  have  the  thing  looked 


72  ALL   ADRIFT;    OR, 

into.  Where  is  the  boy  now  ?  What  has  become 
of  him?" 

"  The  last  I  saw  of  him  he  was  in  the  Goldwing, 
at  anchor  off  the  breakwater,  on  the  outside.  I 
have  no  doubt  he  is  going  to  Burlington  in  the 
boat  as  soon  as  the  weather  is  fit  for  him  to 
sail." 

"  Perhaps  he  has  gone  by  this  time,"  suggested 
the  landlord. 

"  I  don't  believe  he  has.  It  is  blowing  heavy 
out  on  the  lake ;  and  the  boy  knows  what  sort  of 
a  boat  the  Goldwing  is,  for  I  warned  him  that 
she  would  drown  him." 

"  There  seems  to  be  no  doubt  that  the  boy  is 
the  same  one  that  went  to  your  father's  room  last 
night,  though  that  don't  prove  that  he  robbed  the 
room  of  one  of  my  guests.  I  should  like  to  see 
the  boy,  and  have  him  explain  what  he  has  been 
about,"  added  the  landlord. 

"  We  will  have  him  arrested  if  he  can't  tell  a 
straight  story,"  said  Pearl.  "If  you  authorize 
me  to  do  it,  I  will  bring  the  boy  up  here ;  but  I 
may  have  to  get  a  steamer  to  chase  him,  and  there 
will  be  some  expense  about  it." 

"I  will  pay  any  reasonable  expense,"  replied 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  73 

the  landlord.  "  You  are  not  an  officer,  and  of 
course  you  can't  arrest  him." 

"But  I  will  bring  him  up  here,  whether  I  am  an 
officer  or  not,"  continued  Pearl.  "  I  am  as  much 
interested  in  getting  him  back  as  you  are." 

"  How  is  that  ?  " 

"I  wanted  to  buy  the  Goldwing;  and  I 
expected  to  get  her  for  about  twenty  dollars, 
though  her  sails  cost  more  than  that.  The  young 
rascal  tricked  me  out  of  her.  If  he  stole  the 
money,  it  is  no  trade,  and  the  boat  will  have  to  be 
put  up  again." 

The  landlord  was  satisfied  that  Pearl  would 
bring  the  boy  to  the  hotel  if  it  were  possible. 
Pearl  was  very  sure  that  he  would  do  it.  With- 
out knowing  any  thing  particular  about  the  Bur- 
lington boy,  he  had  taken  an  intense  dislike  to 
him;  but  he  had  no  suspicion  that  he  was  the 
person  who  had  interfered  with  his  operations 
in  the  woods  the  night  before.  He  hastened  down 
to  the  wharf,  where  he  found  the  little  steamer 
that  he  had  seen  struggling  with  the  big  waves  in 
the  lower  bay. 

"  You  have  had  a  rough  time  of  it,"  said  Pearl 
to  a  man  he  found  on  the  deck  of  the  boat. 


74  ALL  ADRIFT  ;    OR, 

"  Rather  rough ;  but  we  came  through  all 
right,"  replied  the  man. 

"  What  boat  is  this  ?  "  inquired  the  thief-taker, 
as  he  already  regarded  himself. 

"This  is  the  Missisquoi.  A  man  in  Platts- 
burgh  bought  her,  and  I  came  to  fetch  her  over; 
but  he  won't  be  here  till  to-morrow  night,"  re- 
plied the  temporary  skipper.  "I  fetched  over  a 
lot  of  boys  from  Burlington,  and  they  made  things 
lively  on  the  way." 

"Do  you  know  a  boy  in  Burlington  by  the 
name  of  Theodore  Dornwood  ?  "  asked  Pearl. 

"  Well,  I  guess  I  do.  Everybody  that  has  any 
thing  to  do  with  boats  in  Burlington  knows  all 
about  him.  He  is  a  little  wild,  but  he  is  as  smart 
as  a  steel  trap,"  replied  Captain  Vesey,  as  he  was 
called  by  courtesy. 

"  Is  he  an  honest  boy  ?  "  asked  Pearl,  as  though 
that  were  a  matter  of  the  utmost  consequence  to 
him.  ' 

"  I  guess  he  is.  He  is  worth  two  of  his  father, 
who  was  the  pilot  on  duty  on  board  of  the  Au 
Sable  last  night,  and  tried  to  take  the  boat 
across  a  p'int  of  land.  He  didn't  make  out,  and 
I  guess  it  will  be  al)ad  job  for  him." 


THE  GOLDWING    CLUB.  75 

"Where  are  the  boys  you  brought  over?" 
inquired  Pearl,  looking  about  the  boat  for  them. 

"  You  see,  they  came  over  here  on  a  lark,  and 
will  have  to  get  back  the  best  way  they  can. 
We  found  Dory  in  a  sailboat,  anchored  off  the 
breakwater.  The  boys  wanted  me  to  put  them 
aboard  of  her,  and  I  did.  Dory  says  he  is  going 
to  sail  the  boat  to  Burlington,  and  the  rest  of  the 
boys  are  going  with  him.  They  are  the  wildest 
set  of  boys  on  the  lake." 

"I  suppose  you  don't  object  to  earning  five 
dollars  with  this  boat  before  you  deliver  her  to 
her  owner?"  suggested  Pearl  in  an  indifferent 
sort  of  way. 

"  I  guess  not,"  said  Captain  Vesey,  with  a  broad 
grin  on  his  face.  "  I  never  object  to  making  five 
dollars,  or  one  dollar,  for  that  matter." 

"I  want  to  see  Dory  Dornwood  on  some  par- 
ticular business ;  and,  if  you  will  put  me  on  board 
of  his  boat,  I  will  give  you  five  dollars,"  said 
Pearl  in  an  insinuating  tone. 

Captain  Vesey  was  ready  to  do  it. 


76  ALL  ADRIFT;    OR, 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE   MAN    THAT    LOOKED    THROUGH    THE    KEY- 
HOLE. 

TpEARL  HAWLINSHED  had  not  looked  to 
-*-  see  if  the  Goldwing  was  where  he  had  last 
seen  her,  outside  of  the  breakwater.  The  water 
was  unusually  low  on  the  lake ;  and,  though  he 
saw  the  topmasts  of  several  boats  beyond  the 
breakwater,  he  was  unable  to  determine  whether 
or  not  any  of  them  belonged  to  the  Goldwing. 
Captain  Vesey  had  seen  no  boat  go  out,  and  Pearl 
concluded  that  she  was  still  at  anchor. 

Pearl  made  his  trade  with  the  acting  skipper  of 
the  little  steamer,  which  was  hardly  more  than  a 
steam-launch.  Mr.  Button  the  engineer,  who 
was  to  remain  in  the  employ  of  the  new  owner, 
was  wiping  the  water  off  the  machinery.  He  was 
called,  and  informed  of  the  arrangement  with 
Pearl.  To  the  astonishment  of  both,  he  refused 
to  move  the  Missisquoi  from  the  wharf. 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  77 

"  I  reckon  the  boat  is  in  my  care  until  she  is 
delivered  to  the  new  owner,"  argued  Captain 
Vesey. 

"  It  don't  make  any  difference  to  me  whose  care 
she  is  in.  I  won't  go  out  with  a  man  who  don't 
know  any  more  about  handling  a  boat  than  you 
do,  Captain  -Vesey,"  replied  Mr.  Button  warmly. 
"  It  was  only  by  a  miracle  that  we  got  over  here 
at  all.  I  expected  to  go  to  the  bottom  every 
minute  of  the  time  until  we  got  inside  of  the 
breakwater." 

"  I  reckon  I  know  how  to  handle  a  steamboat 
as  well  as  the  next  man,"  returned  Captain  Vesey 
indignantly. 

"  That  depends  upon  how  much  the  next  man 
knows  about  a  tug-boat.  If  the  next  man  don't 
know  any  more  about  it  than  you  do,  I  don't 
want  to  run  the  engine  for  him." 

Pearl  could  not  help  being  on  the  engineer's 
side  of  the  controversy.  He  and  Dory  had  agreed 
that  the  captain  of  the  Missisquoi  did  not  under- 
stand his  business.  But  Pearl  Hawlinshed  believed 
that  he  knew  all  about  a  steamer,  and  all  about 
the  lake.  He  considered  himself  competent  to 
command  one  of  the  large  steamers. 


78  ALL  ADRIFT  ;    OR, 

"  I  am  going  with  you,  Mr.  Button,  and  it  will 
be  five  dollars  in  your  pocket,  as  well  as  the  cap- 
tain's," interposed  Pearl,  who  was  disposed  to  be 
liberal  with  the  landlord's  money. 

"  My  life  is  worth  something  to  me  ;  or  at  any 
rate  it  is  to  my  family,"  replied  Mr.  Button  doubt- 
fully. "Do  you  know  about  handling  such  a 
boat  as  this?" 

"  I  know  all  about  it :  I  used  to  sail  in  the  Au 
Sable,"  replied  Pearl  confidently. 

Mr.  Button  was  doubtless  a  good  engineer,  but 
he  was  not  a  very  shrewd  man.  If  he  had  been, 
he  would  have  asked  in  what  capacity  the  appli- 
cant for  the  use  of  the  Missisquoi  served  on  board 
of  the  Au  Sable.  Possibly  Pearl  would  have 
evaded  the  question,  or  lied  about  the  matter ,  for 
he  had  simply  been  a  waiter  in  the  cabin  for  a  few 
weeks.  But  Pearl  thought  he  knew  all  about  a 
steamer,  and  all  about  the  navigation  of  the  lake. 

"  If  you  are  a  steamboat  man  I  have  no  objec- 
tion to  taking  the  Ubat  out,"  added  the  engineer. 
"  It  is  a  very  rough  day  on  the  lake,  and  one  has 
to  know  something  about  handling  a  boat  in  such 
big  waves." 

"But  I  am  the   captain   of  this  boat,  and  I 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  79 

reckon  I  don't  want  any  boss  over  me,"  interposed 
Captain  Vesey  at  this  point. 

"  We  shall  have  no  trouble,"  added  Pearl,  as  he 
walked  aft  with  the  captain.  "  I  shall  not  meddle 
with  your  management  of  the  boat.  I  only  said 
what  I  did  to  quiet  the  engineer." 

But  the  boat  had  to  take  in  a  supply  of  fuel, 
for  which  Pearl  promised  to  pay  out  of  the  land- 
lord's pocket.  She  could  not  leave  for  a  couple 
of  hours.  Pearl  wanted  to  go  back  to  the  hotel, 
and  attend  to  some  matters  in  connection  with  his 
mission  which  he  had  forgotten. 

"  I  am  to  pay  you  five  dollars,  and  the  engineer 
five  dollars,  when  you  put  me  on  board  of  the 
Goldwing,"  said  Pearl,  as  he  was  about  to  leave 
the  boat.  "  Is  that  the  trade  ?  " 

"That's  it,"  replied  the  engineer;  and  so  an- 
swered the 'captain. 

Pearl  walked  up  the  pier,  and  then  went  down 
the  railroad  till  he  could  see  outside  of  the  break- 
water. He  found  the  Goldwii%  lay  at  anchor  in 
the  place  she  had  chosen  at  first.  Ten  dollars 
would  be  a  good  sum  to  pay  if  the  Missisquoi  was 
obliged  to  take  him  only  out  to  the  breakwater. 
But,  the  sooner  he  brought  Dory  on  shore,  the 


80  ALL  ADEIFT  ;    OR, 

sooner  the  Goldwing  would  be  put  up  at  auction 
again. 

He  walked  to  the  Witherill  House,  and  in- 
formed the  landlord  of  what  he  had  done,  and 
declared  that  the  boy  who  had  stolen  the  money 
should  be  handed  over  to  him  in  a  couple  of 
hours.  The  hotel-keeper  did  not  object  to  the 
expense ;  but  he  wished  his  representative  to  be 
careful  how  he  managed  the  business,  for  it  was 
by  no  means  certain  that  the  boy  had  taken  the 
money. 

"  I  am  as  certain  of  it  as  I  am  of  my  own 
existence,"  replied  Pearl  warmly.  "  I  have  found 
out  something  about  the  boy  since  I  was  here. 
He  has  the  reputation  of  being  wild,  and  no  one 
sent  him  over  here  to  buy  a  boat.  And  a  fellow 
like  him  don't  have  forty  or  fifty  dollars  to  invest 
in  boats." 

"  All  that  may  be ;  but  you  can  be  careful  just 
as  well  as  not,"  added  the  landlord. 

"He  is  nothing  but  a  young  cub,  and  has  no 
friends,  so  that  nothing  will  come  of  it  if  he 
shouldn't  happen  to  be  the  thief." 

"  If  he  has  no  one  to  defend  him,  so  much  the 
more  reason  why  he  should  be  fairly  dealt  with," 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  81 

replied  the  hotel-keeper, — a  sentiment  with  which 
Pearl  Hawlinshed  had  no  sympathy.  "I  have 
seen  Moody  since  you  went  out,  and  he  says  a 
man  was  looking  into  the  keyhole  of  the  room 
next  to  his  about  ten  o'clock  last  evening.  That 
was  your  father's  room.  Have  you  any  idea  who 
that  man  was,  Hawlinshed  ?  " 

"I  haven't  the  least  idea  in  the  world,"  an- 
swered Pearl ;  and  possibly  the  landlord  did  not 
notice  his  confusion  when  he  replied,  "Very 
likely  it  was  this  same  boy." 

"  It  wasn't  a  boy,  but  a  man :  I  asked  Moody 
particularly  about  this  matter." 

"  I  don't  know  any  thing  about  the  matter  at 
all,"  protested  Pearl.  "If  the  man  that  lost  the 
money  saw  any  thing  of  this  kind,  why  didn't  he 
tell  of  it  before?" 

"I  asked  him  this  question,  and  he  says  he 
did  not  think  of  it  before.  The  fact  of  it  is,  that 
Moody  had  been  drinking,  though  he  sticks  to  it 
that  he  wasn't  drunk.  He  went  into  his  room  at 
about  ten  o'clock,  and  put  the  money  into  his 
trunk,  for  he  was  afraid  he  might  lose  it.  He 
saw  the  man  looking  in  at  the  keyhole  of  your 
father's  room  when  he  went  into  his  own  to  put 


82  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

the  money  in  a  safe  place.  He  heard  voices  in 
the  next  room  when  he  opened  his  trunk.  The 
boy  was  with  your  father  at  that  tune  very 
likely." 

"  If  the  man  had  been  drinking,  it  is  not  proba- 
ble that  he  knows  much  about  the  boy  or  the 
man,"  added  Pearl. 

"  He  had  not  got  very  tipsy,  or  he  would  not 
have  thought  to  look  out  for  his  money.  But 
bring  the  boy  up,  if  you  can  get  him  without 
violence  or  outrage.  If  he  explains  where  he  got 
the  money  to  buy  the  boat,  that  is  the  end  of  the 
matter  so  far  as  he  is  concerned.  In  my  opinion 
the  man  who  was  looking  in  at  the  keyhole  of 
your  father's  room  is  more  likely  to  be  the  thief 
than  the  boy." 

"Where  did  the  boy  get  forty-two  dollars  to 
pay  for  the  boat,  then  ?  "  demanded  Pearl. 

"I  give  it  up,"  laughed  the  landlord.  "But 
we  are  likely  to  know  something  more  about  the 
case  before  dinner-time.  I  called  in  Peppers,  who 
used  to  be  a  detective  in  New  York  City ;  and  he 
is  at  work  on  the  case  now." 

"What  did  you  do  that  for?"  demanded  Pearl, 
who  did  not  seem  to  relish  the  information. 


THE   GOLDWING  CLUB.  83 

"  You  set  me  at  work  on  the  case ;  and  now  you 
have  called  in  another  person  to  attend  to  it,  after 
I  have  engaged  a  steamer." 

"  All  I  asked  you  to  do  was  to  bring  the  boy 
in  to  be  questioned.  Peppers  won't  interfere 
with  any  thing  that  you  may  do,"  replied  the 
landlord,  not  a  little  surprised  at  the  objection  of 
Pearl. 

"  What  is  Peppers  doing  ? "  asked  Pearl  un- 
easily. 

"  I  don't  know  what  he  is  doing :  at  least,  I 
don't  know  much  about  it,  and  he  told  me  not 
to  tell  what  I  did  know." 

"But  you  can  tell  me,  for  I  am  at  work  on  the 
case,"  said  Pearl  in  a  coaxing  tone. 

"  No :  I  won't  tell  you  any  thing.  You  won't 
interfere  with  each  other ,  and  it  is  best  for  each 
of  you  to  work  on  his  own  hook,"  replied  the 
hotel-keeper,  as  he  turned  to  attend  to  a  guest 
who  wished  to  speak  to  him. 

Pearl  saw  that  it  was  useless  to  press  the  matter 
any  farther ;  and  he  was  evidently  very  much  dis- 
turbed about  the  turn  the  investigation  had  taken 
during  his  absence.  He  was  particularly  anxious 
to  know  what  the  detective  was  about,  but  he 


84  ALL   ADRIFT;    OR, 

was  unable  to  obtain  any  information  from  any 
person.  He  returned  to  the  steamboat  wharf. 
When  he  came  in  sight  of  the  breakwater,  he  was 
not  a  little  startled  to  see  the  Goldwing  dart  out 
from  behind  the  structure,  with  only  a  small  jib 
and  a  reefed  mainsail. 

He  was  startled ;  because  not  more  than  an  hour 
had  elapsed  since  he  left  the  Missisquoi,  and  he 
expected  it  would  be  another  hour  before  she 
would  be  ready  to  go  in  pursuit  of  the  Goldwing. 
The  latter  could  sail  like  the  wind  if  she  would 
only  keep  right  side  up,  and  she  would  get  a  long 
start  of  the  steamer.  Besides,  Pearl  did  not  like 
the  looks  of  the  big  waves  on  the  lake  any  better 
than  Mr.  Button  had ;  and  he  was  not  altogether 
sure  that  he  could  manage  her  any  better  than 
Captain  Vesey  had  done. 

The  Goldwing  was  running  from  the  end  of  the 
breakwater  over  towards  the  main  shore,  and  it 
was  possible  that  Dory  intended  to  make  a  land- 
ing at  Plattsburgh.  But  it  was  not  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  breakwater  to  the 
shore,  and  he  could  soon  tell  what  she  intended 
to  do.  He  hastened  down  the  railroad  to  settle 
this  point.  In  the  furious  breeze  that  was  blow- 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  85 

ing,  the  Goldwing  seemed  to  leap  over  the  water. 
If  she  intended  to  go  up  to  the  wharf  from  which 
she  had  started,  she  would  have  to  tack  in  a  mo- 
ment. 

Pearl  ran  with  all  his  might ;  for  it  occurred  to 
him  that  if  he  could  induce  Dory  to  come  on  shore 
and  go  up  to  the  hotel  with  him,  he  might  save 
the  ten  dollars  he  had  agreed  to  give  the  captain 
and  engineer,  and  contrive  some  way  to  have  it 
stick  in  his  own  pocket.  The  Goldwing  ran  with- 
in a  hundred  feet  of  the  shore,  and  Pearl  got  be- 
hind a  car  on  a  side  track  to  ascertain  what  she 
intended  to  do. 

Gradually  her  main  sheet  was  let  off,  and  the 
Goldwing  was  headed  to  the  southward.  This 
settled  the  matter.  The  boat  was  not  going  back 
to  the  wharf.  Her  skipper  had  evidently  run  her 
over  in  that  direction  in  order  to  get  her  under 
the  lee  of  the  shore,  where  she  would  not  get  the 
full  force  of  the  wind. 

"  Hallo !  on  board  of  the  Goldwing  !  "  shouted 
Pearl,  as  he  ran  to  the  water's  edge,  yelling  as 
loud  as  he  could. 

"On  shore!"  replied  Dory,  "what  do  you 
want?" 


86  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

"  You  are  wanted  at  the  hotel,"  replied  Pearl. 

Dory  discovered  by  this  time  who  it  was  that 
hailed  him;  and  he  took  no  further  notice  of 
Pearl,  who  hastened  to  the  wharf. 


THE  GOLDWING  CLTJB.  87 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

THE  COLCHESTER  CLTJB  CHANGES   ITS  NAME. 

"  ~YY7"HAT  in  the  world  are  you  doing  over 
*  here,  fellows  ?  "  asked  Dory  Dornwood,  as 
the  four  passengers  of  the  Missisquoi  tumbled  in 
over  the  stern  of  the  Goldwing. 

"  And  what  under  the  breezes  of  Lake  Cham- 
plain  are  you  doing  in  this  boat  ?  "  shouted  Thad 
Glovering,  who  was  the  first  to  get  a  footing  in 
the  standing-room  of  the  Goldwing. 

"What  boat  is  it?"  asked  Nat  Long  in  a  blus- 
tering manner. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  her,  Dory  ?  " 
demanded  Dick  Short. 

"  Can't  you  take  us  over  to  Burlington  in  her  ?  " 
queried  Corny  Minkfield. 

"  How  many  questions  do  you  think  I  can  an- 
swer at  once,  fellows?"  replied  Dory.  "I  am 
going  over  to  Burlington  as  soon  as  the  weather 
is  fit ;  and  you  can  go  with  me  if  you  like." 


88  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

"  All  right,  Dory !  Hurrah  for  Dory  Dorn- 
wood !  You  are  all  right,  and  so  are  we :  only  we 
are  half  starved,  for  we  haven't  had  any  breakfast 
this  morning,"  said  Thad  Glovering. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  the  party  that  arrived 
in  the  Missisquoi  were  not  very  promising-look- 
ing boys.  They  had  a  wild,  harum-scarum  ap- 
pearance and  manner,  which  fully  justified  the 
description  Captain  Vesey  had  given  of  them.  In 
a  word,  they  were  evidently  wild  boys;  and  in 
this  respect  they  did  not  differ  much  from  Dory 
himself. 

They  are  the  boat-builders  whose  exploits  and 
achievements  are  to  be  recorded,  and  they  may 
as  well  be  introduced  at  this  as  at  any  other 
time.  Thad  Glovering  was  an  orphan,  who  lived 
with  his  uncle.  As  this  relative  had  several 
children  of  his  own,  the  added  one  was  a  burden 
to  him,  for  he  had  but  small  wages.  Thad  de- 
clared that  he  was  willing  to  work;  but  up  to 
this  time  nothing  had  been  found  for  him  to  do. 
The  worst  that  could  be  said  of  him  was  that  he 
was  wild. 

Nat  Long's  father  was  a  deck-hand  on  a  steam- 
er; and,  as  he  was  away  most  of  the  tune,  Nat 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  89 

was  permitted  to  have  his  own  way.  His  mother 
was  dead ;  and  his  older  sister,  who  had  the  care 
of  the  family,  found  herself  unable  to  control 
him.  He  was  not  a  confirmed  bad  boy,  and  had 
worked  for  a  year  in  one  place,  and  done  very 
well.  A  change  in  the  business  had  thrown  him 
out  of  work,  and  he  had  been  unable  to  find 
another  situation.  Idleness  led  him  into  mis- 
chief ;  and,  without  some  kind  of  control,  it  was 
only  a  question  of  time  when  he  got  into  the  hands 
of  the  law  for  some  crime. 

Dick  Short  and  Corny  Minkfield  were  the  sons 
of  widows,  both  of  whom  had  some  property. 
Their  mothers  were  able  to  support  them  with- 
out work;  but  work  was  the  one  thing  they 
needed,  whether  it  was  with  the  head  or  the 
hands. 

These  five  boys  lived  near  together,  and  they 
had  been  cronies  from  their  earliest  school-days. 
Two  of  them  were  usually  well  dressed;  and  the 
others  were  somewhat  ragged,  and  considerably 
patched,  showing  the  efforts  of  their  protectors  to 
keep  them  decent.  They  had  all  been  to  school 
up  to  the  present  time,  and  now  it  was  vaca- 
tion ;  and  the  next  thing  to  be  decided  by  their 


90  ALL  ADRIFT;    OR, 

friends  was  what  should  be  done  with  them. 
Dick  and  Corny  were  to  go  to  the  high  school ; 
but  the  others  must  go  to  work,  and  earn  their 
own  living,  —  do  something  for  the  support  of 
their  parents. 

Dory  had  gone  to  work  before  the  school 
closed  for  the  summer,  and  all  the  boys  talked 
as  though  they  intended  to  do  something.  But 
they  did  not  feel  like  going  to  work  in  vacation 
time.  They  had  always  had  great  larks  on  the 
lake  when  school  did  not  keep,  and  they  were 
not  disposed  to  dispense  with  the  good  time  the 
present  year. 

It  could  not  be  said  that  one  of  these  boys 
was  really  bad.  But  they  kept  all  kinds  of  com- 
pany ;  and,  in  the  absence  of  any  strong  control- 
ling force,  they  were  in  great  danger  of  becoming 
"  hard  boys."  Sometimes  they  assisted  about  the 
steamers  and  other  vessels ;  and,  by  making  them- 
selves useful,  they  obtained  the  privilege  of  sail- 
ing on  the  lake.  Their  associations  were  not 
always  of  the  best  character.  They  were  all 
"  smart  boys ; "  and  wise  and  steady  people  who 
knew  them  wished  they  might  be  put  to  some 
useful  labor,  or  be  subjected  to  some  salutary 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  91 

control.  Mrs.  Short  and  Mrs.  Minkfield  had  both 
been  warned  of  the  peril  of  their  sons ;  and  both 
had  considered  the  means  of  redeeming  them 
from  the  bad  company  into  which  their  habits 
threw  them.  But  they  had  not  done  any  thing 
beyond  reasoning  with  the  boys,  who  always 
promised  to  mend  their  ways. 

Assisted  by  his  four  cronies,  Dory  Dornwood 
had  built  a  sort  of  bateau,  a  flat-bottomed  craft, 
in  which  they  used  to  row  about  the  lake  near 
the  shore.  It  was  a  rude  boat;  for  the  young 
boat-builders  had  few  tools,  and  very  inferior 
lumber  for  the  construction  of  the  bateau.  But 
it  would  carry  them  all,  and  Dory  was  the 
captain  of  the  craft.  She  was  called  the  Col- 
chester ;  and  the  boys  formed  a  club  for  aquatic 
sports,  to  which  they  gave  the  name  of  the  boat. 

Doubtless  the  Colchester  Club  gave  a  great 
deal  of  satisfaction  to  its  members.  Unfortu- 
nately the  Colchester  broke  adrift  in  a  September 
squall,  and  went  to  pieces  on  Colchester  Reef, 
as  reported  by  the  light-keeper.  No  other  boat 
could  be  obtained  ;  but  the  members  all  said  that 
as  soon  as  they  got  to  work  they  should  give 
a  portion  of  their  earnings  for  the  purchase  of  a 


92  ALL  AFJKIFT;    OB, 

suitable  craft  for  the  association.  Up  to  this 
time  they  had  not  gone  to  work,  and  the  suc- 
cessor of  the  Colchester  did  not  appear. 

Dory  proceeded  to  answer  the  questions  of  his 
fellow-members  of  the  Colchester  Club.  The 
boat  in  which  they  found  him  belonged  to  him ; 
and  this  was  the  most  astounding  statement  he 
made  in  the  course  of  the  interview.  They 
opened  their  eyes,  and  stared  at  Captain  Dory, 
as  they  called  him,  in  silent  wonder.  Then  they 
looked  the  boat  over  with  renewed  interest,  and 
seemed  to  be  unable  to  believe  the  statement  of 
their  companion. 

"  The  Colchester  Club  shall  have  the  use  of  her 
when  I  am  on  board,"  added  Dory  magnani- 
mously. 

"  That's  handsome ;  and  we  shall  have  the 
biggest  kind  of  times,"  added  Thad  Glovering. 
"I'll  tell  you  what  we'll  do,  fellows.  We  will 
change  the  name  of  the  club,  and  call  it  after  this 
boat.  What  is  her  name,  Dory  ?  " 

"You  will  find  it  on  the  stern,  and  also  on 
the  bowsprit,"  replied  the  skipper  of  the  Gold- 
wing.  "It  isn't  a  bad  name  either." 

Two  of  the  members  of  the  club  looked  over 


THE   GOLDWING    CLUB.  93 

the  stern,  and  two  others  rushed  to  the  bow.  The 
name  was  of  the  utmost  consequence,  and  Dory 
thought  it  was  better  for  them  to  read  it  for  them- 
selves than  for  him  to  tell  it.  Besides,  there  was 
a  good  deal  of  style  in  the  way  the  name  was  put 
on  in  the  three  places. 

"  Goldwing !  "  shouted  Corny  Minkfield,  who 
was  the  first  to  read  the  name  on  the  stern. 
"And  there  is  a  gold  wing  under  it." 

"  Goldwing !  "  repeated  Dick  Short,  as  he  read 
the  name  on  the  heel  of  the  bowsprit.  "And 
there  is  a  gold  wing  here  too." 

"Isn't  that  a  splendid  name  for  a  boat !  Gold- 
wing  !  "  exclaimed  Nat  Long.  "  I  don't  think  you 
could  find  any  thing  better  than  that  if  you  should 
study  for  a  month." 

"  Or  any  thing  better  for  a  club,"  added  Thad 
Glovering.  "  The  Goldwing  Club !  How  do  you 
think  that  sounds,  fellows  ?  " 

"I  don't  believe  any  thing  could  sound  any 
better,"  added  Dick  Short.  "But  we  haven't 
looked  the,  boat  over  yet." 

"  All  hands  proceeded  to  attend  to  this  duty  at 
once.  The  Colchester  had  been  a  rough,  flat- 
bottomed  craft,  with  neither  shape  nor  comeliness 


94  AT.T.   ADRIFT;     OK, 

about  her.  Whatever  first-class  sailboats  the 
members  of  the  club  had  seen  had  been  only  at 
a  distance  ;  and  consequently  their  ideal  of 
beauty,  symmetry,  comfort,  and  convenience  in  a 
boat  was  not  very  high.  The  Goldwing  was  per- 
fection itself  to  them,  though  it  might  not  have 
been  to  more  experienced  observers.  They  were 
ecstatic  in  their  praises  of  the  Goldwing,  and  did 
not  believe  there  was  a  finer  sailboat  on  the  lake 
than  she  was. 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say  that  you  own  this 
craft,  Dory  Dornwood!"  said  Thad  when  the 
party  had  exhausted  their  vocabulary  of  fine 
words  applicable  to  a  beautiful  sailboat. 

"  I  have  said  it  once,  and  I  will  say  it  again  if 
it  will  do  any  good,"  replied  Dory.  "  The  Gold- 
wing  is  mine,  and  she  don't  belong  to  anybody 
else.  You  can  go  the  last  cent  you've  got  on 
that." 

"  Get  out,  Dory  !  "  exclaimed  Dick  Short, 
punching  the  "skipper  in  the  ribs.  "You  are 
selling  us  too  cheap,  Dory." 

"  I'm  not  selling  you  at  all !  "  protested  Dory. 
"  I  wouldn't  take  twenty-five  cents  apiece  for  you, 
though  that  would  make  a  dollar." 


THE  GOLD  WING   CLUB.  95 

"  You  can't  expect  us  to  believe  that  you  own 
such  a  magnificent  boat  as  this,  Dory,  unless  you 
tell  us  where  you  got  her,"  said  Corny  Minkfield 
very  seriously. 

"  I  can  expect  it,  and  I  do  expect  it,"  added 
Dory,  taking  the  auctioneer's  receipt  from  his 
pocket.  "  I  shall  prove  to  you  that  she  is  mine, 
and  without  saying  another  word." 

Dory  handed  the  receipt  to  Corny,  and  said 
nothing  more.  The  sceptic  read  the  paper  out 
loud,  and  of  course  that  settled  the  question. 
There  was  no  room  for  a  doubt  after  the  reading 
of  the  receipt. 

"Forty-two  dollars!"  exclaimed  Corny,  as  he 
handed  the  receipt  back  to  the  skipper.  "  Judg- 
ing by  the  cost  of  the  Letitia,  she  ought  to  be 
worth  four  or  five  hundred  dollars." 

"Forty-two  dollars  is  nothing  for  a  boat  like 
this,"  added  Dick  Short,  whose  mother  was  worth 
money,  and  therefore  he  had  less  respect  for  forty- 
two  dollars  than  most  of  the  other  members. 

"  But  where  did  you  get  the  forty-two  dollars?  " 
asked  Thad,  who  had  hardly  ever  possessed  even 
half  a  dime  at  one  time. 

"  Haven't  I  proved  that  the  Gold  wing  is  mine?" 


9b  ALL  ADKIFT;  OB, 

demanded  Dory  rather  warmly;  for  he  did  not 
want  his  fellow-members  of  the  Goldwing  Club 
skirmishing  adout  in  the  region  of  the  great 
secret  of  his  lifetime.  "  All  I  have  to  say  about 
it  is,  that  I  came  honestly  by  the  money,  and  I 
don't  want  any  more  questions  asked." 

Dory  Dornwood,  though  he  was  rather  wild, 
scorned  to"  invent  a  lie  to  explain  where  the 
money  came  from,  as  perhaps  some  of  his  com- 
panions might  have  done  under  similar  circum- 
stances. 

The  other  members  of  the  Goldwing  Club 
looked  at  one  another ;  and  Nat  Long  winked  at 
Corny  Minkfield,  as  much  as  to  say  "  There  is  a 
cat  in  the  meal  somewhere."  After  the  impera- 
tive warning  from  the  skipper  that  nothing  more 
was  to  be  said  about  the  forty-two  dollars,  no 
more  questions  were  asked;  but  it  was  evident 
that  the  members  all  kept  up  a  tremendous  think- 
ing on  the  subject.  But  even  this  matter  became 
stale  in  a  few  minutes  in  the  excitement  of  the 
hour. 

"  Forty-two  dollars  is  dirt  cheap  for  a  boat  like 
the  Goldwing,"  said  Dory,  breaking  the  silence. 
"  I  have  no  doubt  she  cost  four  or  five  hundred 


THE   GOLDWING   CLUB.  97 

dollars;  but  I  ought  to  tell  you  that  she  has  a 
bad  name." 

"A  bad  name!  The  Gold  wing?"  exclaimed 
Thad;  and  all  of  the  party  seemed  to  think  it 
quite  impossible  that  such  a  splendid  boat  as  the 
Goldwing  could  have  any  thing  but  a  first-class 
reputation. 

"  She  drowned  the  man  that  owned  her.  She 
upset,  and  then  went  to  the  bottom.  Now,  if  any 
of  you  want  to  go  on  shore,  you  can." 

The  members  of  the  Goldwing  Club  looked 
aghast  at  one  another. 


ALL  ADRIFT  ;    OR, 


CHAPTER  IX. 

A  WEATHER  HELM  AND  A  LEE  HELM. 

""TS    the  Goldwing  in  the  habit  of  upsetting? 

r*r  Does  she  make  a  regular  thing  of  it  ?  "  asked 
Thad  Glovering. 

"I  have  heard  of  her  doing  it  twice  before; 
though  I  believe  she  never  drowned  any  one  but 
her  owner,"  replied  Dory  candidly  and  seriously. 
"But  I  don't  want  any  fellow  to  sail  in  her  that 
don't  want  to." 

"We  can  stand  it  as  well  as  you  can,  Dory," 
added  Corny  Minkfield.  "I  suppose  she  would 
drown  you  as  easily  as  she  would  any  of  the  rest 
of  us." 

"  There  is  nothing  to  make  any  of  us  stand  it 
if  we  don't  want  to,"  continued  Dory.  "  I  have 
told  you  the  worst  of  it,  and  there  isn't  any  law 
to  make  any  of  you  sail  in  the  Goldwing." 

"  But  we  want  to  sail  in  her ;  and  this  is  the 
Goldwing  Club  now.  But  we  don't  want  to  be 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  99 

drowned,"  said  Thad.  "  I  think  my  uncle  would 
like  to  get  rid  of  me,  but  I  don't  believe  he  would 
want  to  have  me  drowned." 

"  I  don't  want  to  be  drowned  any  more  than 
you  do,  and  I  know  my  mother  wouldn't  want 
any  such  thing  to  happen  to  me.  Of  course  I 
wouldn't  go  out  in  the  Goldwing  if  I  thought  she 
was  going  to  spill  me  into  the  lake,"  added  Dory. 
"I  have  told  you  the  worst  of  it,  and  now  you 
can  go  ashore  at  Plattsburgh  if  you  want  to." 

"  I  am  willing  to  take  my  chances  if  you  are, 
Dory,"  replied  Thad  with  some  hesitation.  "It 
is  blowing  a  young  hurricane  to-day,  and  you 
said  you  should  not  go  till  the  weather  was  fit." 

"I  am  not  going  to  drown  myself  or  you 
either,  if  I  can  help  it,  fellows,"  Dory  proceeded. 
"  I  heard  about  the  Goldwing  the  last  time  I  was 
up  here.  I  asked  all  about  the  drowning  of  the 
man  that  owned  her,  and  a  boatman  who  saw 
the  whole  of  it  told  me  all  about  it." 

"  How  long  ago  was  it  that  the  man  was 
drowned  ?  "  asked  Nat  Long. 

"  It  was  about  three  weeks  ago.  The  boat  lay 
on  the  bottom  a  week  before  they  raised  her," 
replied  Dory. 


100  ALL  ADRIFT;    OR, 

"  Was  it  blowing  hard  when  he  was  drowned  ?  " 
inquired  Corny. 

"  No :  it  was  just  a  good  sailing-breeze.  I  think 
I  know  what  the  matter  was  with  the  boat.  I 
believe  I  can  make  her  all  right,  if  I  have  not 
already  done  it ;  for  I  have  been  at  work  on  her 
this  morning." 

"What  was  the  trouble  with  her?"  asked 
Thad,  who  considered  the  skipper  competent  to 
put  any  thing  to  rights  about  a  boat. 

"She  was  ballasted  so  that  she  carried  a  lee 
helm,"  answered  Dory,  as  solemnly  as  though  he 
settled  the  fate  of  a  nation  by  his  words. 

"Carried  a  lee  helm!"  exclaimed  Dick  Short. 
"  Is  that  what  the  matter  was  ?  " 

"  Carried  a  lee  helm !  "  repeated  Thad.  "  That 
was  bad ! " 

"Carried  a  lee  helm!  If  it  was  bad  for  her, 
she  ought  to  have  left  her  lee  helm  on  shore." 

"What  did  she  carry  it  for?"  asked  Nat 
Long. 

"She  carried  it  because  she  couldn't  leave  it 
behind,"  replied  Dory.  "  It  is  a  bad  habit,  such 
as  some  men  carry  with  them  through  life,  for  the 
reason  that  they  can't  get  rid  of  it." 


THE  GOLD  WING  CLUB.          101 

"I  say,  Dory,  what  is  a  lee  helm?"  asked 
Thad.  "You  know  that  we  don't  know  any 
thing  more  about  sailing  a  boat  than  we  do  about 
making  a  watch." 

"You  used  to  sail  Mr.  Jones's  boat:  but  we 
never  went  with  you  then,  Dory ;  and  we  never 
had  any  chance  to  learn  how  to  sail  a  boat," 
added  Corny.  "  I  have  no  more  idea  what  a  lee 
helm  is  than  I  have  what  the  man  in  the  moon 
had  for  dinner  to-day." 

"That's  what's  the  matter  with  all  of  us," 
added  Thad,  laughing. 

"I  didn't  mean  to  bother  you,  fellows;  but 
that  is  just  what  ailed  the  Goldwing,  and  she 
had  it  bad.  But  any  boat  would  have  behaved 
in  the  same  way  if  she  was  not  properly  trimmed. 
I  don't  think  Mr.  Lapham  —  that's  the  man  that 
owned  the  Goldwing,  and  was  drowned ;  I  couldn't 
think  of  his  name  before  —  understood  a  boat 
very  well.  Look  here,  fellows ! " 

Dory  Dornwood  pointed  to  a  mast-hole  in  the 
deck,  which  had  been  stopped.  The  foremast  had 
been  moved  nearly  two  feet  aft  of  the  place  where 
it  had  been  stepped  by  the  builder. 

"  The  boatman  told  me  that  Mr.  Lapham  had 


102  ALL  ADKIFT;  OR, 

changed  the  place  of  the  foremast,  so  that  he 
could  make  room  for  a  locker  in  the  head.  If 
she  had  a  bigger  jib,  it  would  be  all  right.  The 
ballast  was  badly  stowed,  and  that  is  what  made 
her  carry  a  lee  helm." 

"  Now  we  know  all  about  what  did  it,  but  we 
don't  know  what  a  lee  helm  is,"  added  Thad, 
laughing.  "I  wish  you  would  tell  us  what  the 
thing  is  before  you  say  any  thing  else." 

"  A  boat  ought  to  carry  a  weather  helm,  though 
not  too  much  of  it,"  replied  Dory,  knitting  his 
brow  as  though  he  was  struggling  with  a  big 
idea,  though  he  was  only  thinking  how  he  should 
make  his  companions  understand  him. 

The  other  members  of  the  Goldwing  Club  could 
pull  an  oar  or  handle  a  paddle ;  and  that  was 
really  all  they  knew  about  boating,  though  they 
were  very  ambitious  to  learn. 

"  I  believe  that.  A  boat  ought  to  carry  a  weather 
helm.  I  think  the  legislature  ought  to  make  a 
law  that  a  boat  should  carry  a  weather  helm,  and 
make  it  a  state-prison  offence  to  carry  a  lee  helm, 
which  is  very  bad,"  said  Corny  Minkfield. 

"  If  you  are  going  to  do  all  the  talking,  I  haven't 
any  tlu'ng  more  to  say,"  replied  Dory  with  dignity. 


THE  GOLDWING  CLTJB.  103 

"  Don't  get  mad,  Dory.  We  don't  know  what 
a  weather  helm  is  any  better  than  we  do  what  a 
lee  helm  is,"  added  Corny,  as  an  apology  for  the 
interruption. 

"  I  was  going  to  tell  you  what  a  weather  helm 
is ;  for,  when  you  know  what  one  is,  you  will 
understand  the  other :  but  you  keep  putting  your 
oars  in,  fellows,  so  that  I  don't  get  a  chance." 

"We  won't  say  another  word  until  we  know 
what  a  weather  helm  is,  and  what  a  lee  helm  is," 
said  Thad.  "  Dry  up,  fellows !  not  another  word." 

"  A  boat  ought  to  carry  a  weather  helm,"  Dory 
began  again ;  and  then  he  paused  to  give  his 
companions  a  chance  to  interrupt  him. 

Corny  was  just  going  to  remind  him  that  he 
had  said  this  before,  when  Thad  put  his  finger  on 
his  lips,  and  the  remark  was  suppressed.  Dory 
looked  at  them  all,  and  found  that  they  intended 
to  "  give  him  the  floor ; "  and  then  he  proceeded 
with  his  explanation. 

"  The  wind  don't  always  blow  just  the  same," 
Dory  proceeded;  and  Corny  could  hardly  help 
making  a  comment  on  this  sage  remark.  "  I  don't 
mean  on  different  days,  but  within  the  same 
hour.  In  other  words,  the  wind  don't  come 


104  .          ALL  ADRIFT;    OR, 

steady.  Today  it  comes  down  in  heavy  flaws. 
You  can  see  the  effect  of  the  puffs  on  the  top  of 
the  water.  A  vessel  keeps  tipping  a  little  in 
almost  any  breeze." 

The  members  of  the  Goldwing  Club  nodded 
all  around  to  indicate  that  they  understood  the 
matter  so  far. 

"  When  a  flaw  or  puff  comes,"  Dory  continued, 
"it  changes  the  course  of  the  boat.  The  helm 
has  to  be  shifted  to  meet  this  change.  Almost 
always  the  tiller  has  to  be  carried  to  the  weather 
side  of  the  boat.  Do  you  know  which  the  weather 
side  of  the  boat  is,  fellows  ?  "  asked  the  expounder 
of  nautical  matters. 

"It  is  the  side  the  weather  is  on,  of  course," 
replied  Corny. 

"It  is  the  side  from  which  the  wind  comes," 
added  Thad,  who  thought  it  was  not  quite  fair  to 
make  fun  of  the  remarks  of  the  skipper  when  he 
was  doing  his  best  to  have  them  understand  the 
difficulty  with  the  Goldwing. 

"  And  what  do  you  call  the  other  side  ?  "  asked 
Dory. 

"  The  lee  side,  I  think,"  answered  Thad. 

^" Right,  Thad;  and  Corny  was  not  so  far  out 


THE  GOLD  WING  CLUB.          105 

of  the  way  as  he  meant  to  be,  for  to  a  sailor  the 
wind  is  about  all  there  is  of  the  weather.  When 
a  flaw  comes,  and  you  have  to  carry  the  tiller  to 
the  weather  side  of  the  boat  to  keep  her  on  her 
course,  that  is  a  weather  helm,"  Dory  proceeded. 

"  I  see  it ! "  exclaimed  Nat  Long,  as  though  he 
had  made  a  great  discovery. 

"  I  don't  believe  you  do,  Nat,"  interposed  the 
skipper.  "  Suppose  you  don't  carry  the  tiller  to 
the  weather  side,  what  will  happen  then  ?  " 

"I  don't  know  that  any  thing  will  happen," 
answered  Nat,  rather  abashed  at  his  own  igno- 
rance. 

"That's  the  point  of  all  that  has  been  said," 
added  Dory. 

"  Well,  what  will  happen  ?  Will  she  tip  over  ?  " 
asked  Nat. 

"That  is  the  very  thing  she  won't  do;  and 
that's  the  reason  why  a  boat  ought  to  carry  a 
weather  helm,  so  that  she  won't  tip  over  if  the 
helmsman  don't  happen  to  have  his  eyes  wide  open 
tight.  If  you  don't  put  the  helm  to  the  weather 
side,  the  head  of  the  boat  will  come  up  to  the 
wind.  As  she  comes  up  into  the  wind,  it  spills 
the  sail." 


106  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

"  Spills  the  sail ! "  exclaimed  Corny,  who  could 
hold  in  no  longer.  "  I  have  heard  of  spilling  the 
milk,  but  not  of  spilling  a  sail." 

"It  means  to  spill  the  wind  out  of  the  sail," 
added  Dory.  "In  other  words,  it  takes  the  wind 
out  of  the  sail,  and  it  don't  press  against  the  sail 
any  longer.  And,  if  the  wind  don't  press  against 
the  sail,  of  course  it  won't  tip  the  boat  over." 

"  That's  plain  enough.  I  understand  that  first- 
rate,"  said  Thad.  "  If  a  puff  brings  the  boat  up 
into  the  wind,  then  the  wind  don't  bear  hard  on 
the  sail,  and  it  won't  upset  the  boat." 

"Now  let  us  see  how  it  works  when  a  boat 
carries  a  lee  helm.  Instead  of  coming  up  into  the 
wind  when  a  flaw  strikes  the  sail,  some  boats  go 
the  other  way.  The  flaw  crowds  them  off  from 
the  wind.  The  more  she  falls  off,  the  harder  the 
wind  presses  against  the  sail.  If  the  puff  throws 
the  head  of  the  boat  far  enough  from  the  wind,  it 
will  blow  square  against  it ;  and,  if  there  is  enough 
of  it,  it  will  upset  any  boat.  Then,  if  you  have 
to  put  the  helm  away  from  the  wind  in  order  to 
keep  the  course,  that's  a  lee  helm ;  and  it's  a  dan- 
gerous thing  in  any  boat,  though  it  can  generally 
be  easily  corrected  if  the  skipper  understands  the 
matter." 


THE  GOLD  WING  CLUB.          107 

"  I  see  it,"  said  Thad.  "  I  suppose  the  owner 
of  this  boat  did  not  understand  it." 

"  They  say  he  was  obstinate  about  it,  and  would 
not  take  the  advice  of  those  who  did  understand 
the  matter,"  added  Dory.  "I  have  shifted  the 
ballast ;  and  I  think  the  Goldwing  will  work  all 
right  now,  though  I  wish  the  foremast  was  in  the 
old  hole." 

The  members  of  the  club  declared  that  they 
understood  the  matter  perfectly.  They  were  will- 
ing to  return  to  Burlington  in  the  Goldwing  if  it 
could  be  shown  that  she  carried  a  weather  helm. 
When  the  skipper  had  finished  his  explanation,  he 
went  forward,  and  took  another  look  at  the  hole 
which  had  been  stopped.  He  found  a  shingling 
hatchet  in  the  cuddy,  and  with  this  he  attempted 
to  drive  out  the  filling  of  the  mast-hole.  After  a 
deal  of  pounding,  he  succeeded  in  the  attempt. 

He  lost  no  tune  in  demolisKtag  the  locker  in 
the  head  which  Mr.  Lapham  had  fitted  there. 
For  an  hour  he  worked  very  diligently,  assisted 
by  all  the  other  members  of  the  club ;  and  the  fore-, 
mast  was  transferred  to  the  hole  the  builder  had 
intended  it  should  occupy.  The  stays  were  ad- 
justed again  with  the  greatest  care  on  the  part  of 


108  ALL    ADRIFT;     OR, 

the  skipper,  and  made  strong  enough  for  the  heavy 
weather  that  prevailed  on  the  lake. 

"  Isn't  there  any  thing  to  eat  on  board,  Dory  ?  " 
asked  Thad.  "  We  are  almost  starved." 

There  was  not  a  morsel  of  food  on  board,  but 
Dory  said  he  would  go  over  to  the  town  if  he 
could. 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  109 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE   MISSISQUOI  Df  PUESUIT. 

?  course  Dory  Dornwood  had  no  suspicion  of 
what  had  transpired  on  shore  since  he  de- 
parted in  the  Goldwing.  The  hunger  of  the 
other  members  of  the  club  reminded  him  that  he 
might  make  a  long  passage  to  Burlington,  or  that 
he  might  be  compelled  to  lie  at  anchor  for  a 
whole  day  before  it  was  safe  to  cross  the  lake  in 
the  present  state  of  the  weather.  He  might  be 
hungry  himself  as  well  as  his  companions,  and  he 
had  not  thought  to  lay  in  a  stock  of  provisions  for 
the  voyage. 

For  this  reason  he  was  all  the  more  willing  to 
land  at  Plattsburgh.  He  hoisted  the  reefed  main- 
sail again,  and  directed  a  couple  of  the  party  to 
get  up  the  anchor.  The  Goldwing  darted  off  at 
a  furious  rate,  as  she  had  before,  when  the  fresh 
breeze  filled  her  sails.  She  took  the  wind  on  her 
quarter  at  first ;  but  Dory  soon  braced  her  up  as 


110  ALL  ADEIFT;  OB, 

she  rounded  the  southerly  beacon  at  the  end  of 
the  breakwater,  and  headed  the  boat  for  the  main 
shore. 

"  How  does  she  work  now,  Dory  ?  "  asked  Thad 
when  the  boat  was  on  her  course.  "Does  she 
carry  a  lee  helm  ?  " 

"  Not  at  all.  It  takes  all  my  strength  to  keep 
her  from  luffing  up,"  replied  the  skipper. 

"There's  another  new  word,"  added  Corny 
Minkfield.  "  What  in  the  world  does  *  luffing  up ' 
mean  ?  " 

" '  To  luff'  is  to  come  into  the  wind.  I  mean  by 
that,  to  turn  the  head  of  the  boat  in  the  direction 
from  which  the  wind  comes,"  replied  Dory.  "  But 
what  she  does  under  her  present  sail  don't  settle 
the  question.  I  took  the  bonnet  off  the  jib  before 
I  left  the  wharf  this  morning." 

"The  bonnet!"  shouted  Corny.  "Does  the 
boat  wear  a  bonnet  ?  " 

"Of  course  she  does.  You  never  made  the 
mistake  of  putting  a  boat  in  the  masculine  gender. 
You  always  say  '  she  '  in  speaking  of  a  boat ;  and 
of  course  she  wears  a  bonnet  when  she  goes  out." 

"But  when  the  weather  is  bad  you  take  the 
bonnet  off;  and  that  is  not  the  way  the  ladies  do  " 
suggested  Thad. 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  Ill 

"  In  rough  weather  the  bonnet  makes  it  all  the 
rougher,"  added  Dory.  "  The  bonnet  is  a  con- 
tinuation of  the  jib,  laced  to  the  lower  part  of  the 
sail.  Taking  off  the  bonnet  amounts  to  the  same 
thing  as  reefing  the  sail." 

"  Reefing  the  sail  is  taking  in  a  part  of  the 
sheet  by  tying  it  up  in  a  fold,"  said  Nat  Long, 
looking  very  wise. 

"  Not  much  !  "  answered  the  skipper. 

"  That's  what  my  father  told  me  ;  and  he  is  a 
deck-hand  on  board  of  the  Champlain,"  persisted 
Nat. 

"  I  don't  believe  he  said  any  thing  of  the  kind, 
Nat.  Taking  up  a  part  of  the  sheet  by  tying  it 
into  a  fold  would  be  a  queer  operation.  Do  you 
run  away  with  the  idea  that  the  jib  is  a  sheet?  " 

"  I  don't  run  away  with  the  idea ;  but  of  course 
a  sail  is  a  sheet." 

"  Not  at  all.  This  is  a  sheet,"  answered  Dory, 
raising  the  main  sheet,  the  end  of  which  he  held 
in  his  left  hand,  while  he  steered  with  his  right. 

"  How  can  that  be  a  sheet  when  it  is  a  rope  ?  " 
demanded  Nat  incredulously. 

"  You  are  thinking  of  the  sheets  between  which 
you  sleep.  In  a  boat  all  sheets  are  ropes.  This 


112  ALL  ADRIFT;  OB, 

is  the  main  sheet,  because  it  is  fastened  to  the 
main  boom,  —  the  stick  at  the  lower  part  of  the 
sail.  This  is  the  jib  sheet,"  continued  Dory,  in- 
dicating the  rope  attached  to  the  lower  part  of 
the  jib,  which  led  aft  into  the  standing-room, 
where  the  helmsman  could  haul  it  in  or  let  it  off 
as  occasion  required. 

"There  is  a  man  hailing  us  from  the  shore," 
said  Thad,  as  Pearl  Hawlinshed  called  to  Dory 
from  the  railroad. 

"I  don't  want  to  see  that  man,"  said  Dory, 
recognizing  the  voice  of  the  disagreeable  man 
from  whom  he  had  fled  when  he  left  the  wharf. 

"  Do  you  know  him  ?  "  asked  Thad. 

"  I  never  saw  him  until  this  morning.  He  bid 
against  me  for  this  boat,  and  he  is  mad  because  he 
didn't  get  it,"  replied  the  skipper.  "  I  think  he 
means  to  do  me  mischief  if  he  can,  and  he  can't 
if  I  keep  out  of  his  way." 

He  could  not  answer  any  questions  without 
endangering  his  great  secret.  He  was  on  the 
point  of  tacking  when  he  heard  the  call.  To  go 
up  to  the  wharf  would  be  to  fall  into  the  company 
of  Pearl,  and  he  decided  not  to  do  it.  Instead  of 
coming  about,  he  let  off  the  sheets,  and  headed 
the  Goldwing  to  the  southward. 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  113 

"You  are  going  the  wrong  way,  Dory,"  said 
Thad. 

"I  don't  care  about  going  on  shore  at  Platts- 
burgh  again,  fellows ;  but  we  will  get  something 
to  eat  at  Port  Jackson,"  replied  Dory,  without 
explaining  his  reason  for  not  wishing  to  land  at 
the  town. 

"  But  we  shall  starve  to  death  before  you  get 
there,"  protested  Corny.  "We  have  not  had  a 
mouthful  of  any  thing  to  eat  to-day.  Captain 
Vesey  said  we  might  go  with  him  if  we  would  be 
on  board  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  we 
had  no  chance  to  get  any  breakfast." 

"  I  am  sorry  I  can't  do  any  thing  for  you  just 
now;  but  it  is  only  six  miles  to  Port  Jackson, 
and  I  think  we  shall  be  there  in  about  an  hour," 
replied  Dory.  "I  think  the  fellow  that  hailed 
me  is  wicked  enough  to  get  this  boat  away  from 
me  if  he  can ;  and  I  don't  care  about  meeting  him 
again." 

The  members  of  the  Goldwing  Club  settled 
down  in  the  most  comfortable  places  they  could 
find.  A  couple  of  them  took  possession  of  the 
berths  in  the  cuddy,  and  two  others  stretched 
themselves  on  the  seats  in  the  standing-room. 


114  ALL  ADRIFT;   OK, 

They  were  not  so  wild  as  Captain  Vesey  had 
reported  them  to  be  on  the  passage  from  Burling- 
ton. They  were  faint  and  hungry ;  for  it  was  now 
nearly  noon,  and  the  voyagers  in  the  Missisquoi 
had  fasted  the  greater  part  of  twenty-four  hours. 

The  Goldwing  was  under  the  lee  of  the  land, 
where  there  was  no  sea;  but  the  wind  came  in 
very  sharp  puffs,  as  the  openings  in  the  shore  ex- 
posed the  boat  to  the  unsteady  blast.  But  she 
carried  so  little  sail  that  she  went  along  very 
easily,  and  showed  no  more  tendency  to  upset 
than  any  well-built  boat  would  in  such  puffy 
weather.  The  party  on  board  saw  nothing  in  her 
behavior  to  warrant  the  bad  reputation  she  had 
established. 

Three  miles  brought  the  boat  to  Bluff  Point; 
and  the  shore  was  so  elevated  here,  that  the  skip- 
per stood  farther  out  into  the  lake  so  that  he 
might  not  lose  the  wind.  The  Goldwing  behaved 
so  well,  that  Dory  was  beginning  to  have  a  great 
deal  of  confidence  in  her,  so  that  he  did  not  hesi- 
tate to  venture  farther  from  the  shore. 

The  schooner  appeared  to  be  making  about  six 
miles  an  hour.  Passing  between  Valcour's  Island 
and  the  main  land,  the  Goldwing  arrived  at 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  115 

Port  Jackson  inside  of  an  hour ;  but,  before  the 
boat  entered  the  little  bay  on  which  the  port  is 
situated,  the  boys  had  another  sensation.  Dory 
had  hardly  thought  of  looking  astern  in  the  run 
of  the  Goldwing  down  from  Plattsburgh. 

"  There's  a  steamer  coming  down  the  same  way 
we  did,"  said  Dick  Short,  as  he  rose  from  his  place 
on  the  seat,  just  as  the  schooner  was  going  into 
the  port.  "  It  looks  just  like  the  Missisquoi." 

"It  is  the  Missisquoi,"  added  Thad,  after  he 
had  surveyed  the  boat. 

"It  certainly  looks  like  her,"  said  Dory,  who 
was  trying  to  make  out  what  this  appearance 
meant. 

His  companions  had  told  him  the  destination  of 
the  Missisquoi ;  and  he  was  satisfied  that  she  could 
have  no  business  hi  this  part  of  the  lake,  as  she 
was  to  be  used  in  towing  lumber  in  the  north. 
He  had  seen  the  little  steamer  go  up  to  the  wharf 
where  the  Goldwing  lay.  He  could  not  get  rid  of 
the  idea  that  her  present  trip  to  the  southward 
was  in  some  way  connected  with  him,  and  that 
Pearl  Hawlinshed  was  on  board  of  her. 

But  he  could  not  disappoint  the  hungry  club- 
bists  again,  and  he  ran  the  schooner  into  the  bay. 


116  ALL  ADRIFT;    OE, 

He  immediately  informed  his  passengers  that  he 
could  remain  at  the  port  but  a  few  minutes.  He 
was  going  up  to  the  store  to  obtain  provisions  for 
the  boat,  and  would  give  them  something  to  eat 
as  soon  as  she  was  under  way  again.  Then  it 
appeared  that  only  one  of  them  had  any  money, 

—  Corny  Minkfield,  whose  mother  had  given  him 
permission  to  make  the  trip  over  to  Plattsburgh, 

—  and  he  had  only  half  a  dollar. 

Corny  went  with  Dory  to  the  store.  They 
bought  a  large  supply  of  bread  and  crackers,  a 
salt  fish,  and  finally  the  storekeeper  offered  to  part 
with  a  ham  he  had  cooked  for  the  use  of  his  own 
family.  Half  a  small  cheese  was  added  to  the 
stock  of  provisions,  which  Dory  paid  for,  and  they 
hastened  back  to  the  wharf. 

"  Have  you  seen  any  thing  of  that  steamer  ?  " 
asked  Dory,  as  he  came  within  hailing  distance 
of  his  companions. 

"She  has  not  shown  herself  yet,"  replied 
Thad. 

"  We  have  been  gone  longer  than  I  intended , 
for  the  boiled  ham  took  more  time  than  all  the 
rest  of  the  things,"  replied  Dory,  as  he  and  Corny 
deposited  their  joint  burden  on  the  forward  deck 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  117 

of  the  Goldwing.  "  The  Missisquoi  was  this 
side  of  Crab  Island  when  I  saw  her,  and  she  can't 
be  far  off." 

"What  do  we  care  for  the  Missisquoi  now?" 
asked  Corny. 

"  Cast  off  that  bow  line,  Dick  Short,"  added 
Dory,  without  answering  the  question. 

The  skipper  shoved  the  schooner  off  from  the 
wharf,  and  told  Dick  to  hoist  the  jib.  Heading 
the  Goldwing  to  the  eastward,  Dory  stood  out  of 
the  harbor.  The  boat  was  hardly  under  way 
before  the  Missisquoi  put  in  an  appearance  at  the 
northern  entrance  of  the  bay.  Dory  kept  on  his 
course  after  he  had  calculated  the  point  at  which 
the  steamer  was  likely  to  come  nearest  to  him. 

"  There  she  is ! "  exclaimed  several  of  the  club 
in  the  same  breath.  "  She  is  striking  in  ahead  of 
us." 

The  Missisquoi  was  less  than  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  from  the  Goldwing.  It  could  plainly  be 
seen  that  there  were  two  men  in  her  pilot-house  ; 
and  Dory  was  confident  that  Pearl  Hawlinshed 
was  one  of  them.  His  intentions  were  certainly 
very  serious  if  he  had  gone  to  the  expense  of 
hiring  a  steamer  to  chase  him.  Probably  he  had 


118  ALL  ADRIFT;  OK, 

found  some  way  to  break  up  the  sale  of  the  Gold- 
wing.  But,  whatever  his  mission,  the  skipper  did 
not  want  to  see  him.  He  was  too  closely  con- 
nected with  the  secret  of  the  night  before  to  come 
any  nearer  to  him.  He  decided,  that,  if  the  son 
of  his  liberal  friend  succeeded  in  "  interviewing  " 
him,  he  would  have  to  run  for  it. 

"  I  don't  understand  what  that  fellow  wants  of 
you,  Dory,"  said  Corny  Minkfield. 

"And  I  don't  understand  it  any  better  than 
you  do,"  replied  Dory.  "  All  I  have  to  say  about 
it  is,  that  I  don't  like  the  looks  of  the  fellow,  and 
I  mean  to  keep  out  of  his  way.  Pass  round  the 
grub,  Corny." 

Dory  thought  the  food  would  stop  their  mouths, 
and  it  did.  His  fellow-voyagers  asked  no  more 
questions,  for  they  were  too  busy  with  the  pro- 
visions to  give  attention  to  any  thing  else. 

As  the  Goldwing  went  out  from  the  land, 
she  began  to  feel  the  force  of  the  wind,  and  she 
darted  ahead  under  the  influence  of  the  sharp 
puffs.  A  few  minutes  later  the  Goldwing  passed 
the  bow  of  the  Missisquoi  not  more  than  forty 
rods  from  her. 


THE   GOLDWING   CLUB.  119 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  CHASE. 

OLD  WING,  ahoy ! "  shouted  Pearl  Hawlin- 
~  shed  from  the  bow  of  the  Missisquoi.  "  I 
want  you,  Dory  Dornwood !  " 

The  skipper  of  the  Goldwing  decided  to  take 
no  notice  of  the  dangerous  man.  The  other 
members  of  the  club  were  so  deeply  interested  in 
filling  their  empty  stomachs  that  they  gave  fio 
attention  to  the  call  of  Pearl.  The  provisions 
had  been  taken  into  the  cuddy,  and  Corny  was 
helping  his  companions.  Those  who  were  not  in 
the  cabin  were  sitting  on  the  floor  of  the  stand- 
ing room,  and  they  could  not  see  the  Missisquoi. 

"  Don't  you  hear  me  ?  I  say,  I  want  to  see  you, 
Dory  Dornwood ! "  shouted  Pearl  again  with  all 
his  might. 

Dory  could  see  that  those  in  charge  of  the 
Missisquoi  were  not  managing  the  chase  very 
well.  Instead  of  steering  the  steamer  to  a  point 


120  ALL   ADRIFT;    OR, 

ahead  of  the  Goldwing,  Captain  Vesey  had  nm 
her  directly  for  her.  If  the  schooner  had  come 
to  when  directed  to  do  so,  as  the  captain  of  her 
evidently  expected,  it  would  have  been  all  right. 
As  it  was,  the  Goldwing  had  made  the  eighth  of 
a  mile  by  the  blunder. 

Dory  had  practically  intimated  to  his  pursuer, 
that,  if  he  wanted  him,  he  must  come  after  him. 
He  knew  that  the  steamer  could  not  make  more 
than  eight  miles  an  hour  at  her  best,  and  she  was 
not  likely  to  do  as  well  as  this  in  the  heavy  sea 
of  the  lake  out  from  the  shore.  The  skipper  of 
the  Goldwing  did  not  expect  to  outsail  the  Missis- 
quoi  under  his  present  short  sail. 

When  Pearl  saw  that  Dory  had  no  intention 
of  coming  to  and  waiting  for  him  to  go  on  board 
of  the  schooner,  he  called  to  Captain  Vesey  to  fol- 
low the  Goldwing.  Instead  of  doing  so,  he  rang 
his  bell  to  stop  the  engine.  Dory  could  not  hear 
what  passed  between  the  captain  and  his  passen- 
ger ;  but  he  was  aware  that  an  animated  discus- 
sion was  in  progress  on  board  of  the  steamer. 

The  Goldwing  was  certainly  behaving  very  well 
for  a  boat  with  such  a  bad  reputation.  Dory 
had  been  gaming  confidence  in  her  ability  every 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  121 

moment  of  the  time  since  she  left  the  break- 
water. It  was  evident  to  him  that  sailing  on  the 
wind  was  her  weak  point,  or  rather  her  danger- 
ous one.  But  she  had  the  wind  on  her  port 
quarter  at  present ;  and  Dory  did  not  care  to  run 
her  directly  before  the  wind,  as  he  would  have 
been  obliged  to  do  if  he  had  taken  a  direct  course 
for  Burlington. 

The  skipper  no  longer  doubted  the  ability  of 
the  Goldwing  to  cross  the  lake,  violent  as  the  sea 
was  at  a  distance  from  the  shore.  He  headed  her 
for  Garden  Island,  nearly  half  a  mile  south  of 
Valcour's  Island,  which  sheltered  the  boat  from 
the  full  force  of  the  strong  wind.  From  Garden 
Island  to  Providence  Island,  off  the  south-western 
extremity  of  South  Hero,  it  was  only  two  miles 
and  a  half.  Not  more  than  half  of  this  distance 
would  be  through  the  roughest  water;  for  Val- 
cour's sheltered  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
course. 

Dory  wondered  what  the  discussion  between  the 
captain  and  the  passenger  of  the  Missisquoi  was 
all  about.  He  judged  that  the  master  of  the 
steamer  was  not  willing  to  follow  the  Goldwing 
any  farther.  He  hoped  they  would  continue  the 


122  ALL  ADRIFT;    OK, 

dispute  for  a  while  longer.  If  they  did,  he 
should  be  out  of  their  reach  in  a  short  time ;  for 
he  was  confident  the  schooner  was  making  at 
least  six  miles  an  hour. 

But  the  skipper  was  not  to  be  fully  gratified ; 
for  the  next  time  time  he  looked  about  at  the 
steamer,  she  was  under  way  again,  and  with  her 
bow  pointed  to  the  Goldwing.  She  was  half  a  mile 
astern  of  the  schooner,  and  this  was  a  consider- 
able distance  for  her  to  gain.  But  Dory  began 
to  feel  the  excitement  of  the  race,  for  it  was 
evident  that  there  was  to  be  a  race. 

The  high  land  at  the  southern  end  of  Valcour's 
Island  was  making  it  altogether  too  mild  for  the 
Goldwing,  for  the  Missisquoi  was  evidently  gain- 
ing very  rapidly  upon  her.  Dory  started  the 
sheets,  and  ran  to  the  southward,  where  he  could 
get  more  wind.  The  steamer  promptly  changed 
her  course,  and  followed  the  schooner.  It  was 
plain  that  Captain  Vesey  or  Pearl  Hawlinshed, 
whichever  was  managing  the  steamer,  had  no  idea 
of  using  any  thing  like  tact  or  stratagem  in  the 
chase.  Probably  the  pilot  did  not  consider  that 
any  thing  of  the  kind  was  necessary,  and  that 
the  steamer  ought  to  overhaul  the  sailboat  simply 
by  outsailing  her. 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  123 

By  this  time  the  other  members  of  the  Gold- 
wing  Club  had  eaten  all  they  could,  and  their 
occupation  became  uninteresting.  Corny  put  the 
provisions  into  -a  locker  in  the  cabin,  and  there 
was  enough  left  for  two  rrr  three  meals  more. 
First  one  stood  up,  and  then  another,  until  all 
had  taken  a  view  of  the  Missisquoi. 

"  The  steamer  is  chasing  you,  Dory,"  said  Thad, 
as  though  he  had  made  a  discovery.  "She  is 
following  us  with  all  her  might." 

"  I  know  it,"  replied  Dory,  looking  behind  him 
at  the  steamer. 

"  What  is  she  chasing  us  for  ?  "  asked  Corny. 

"  She  wants  to  catch  us,"  added  Dory. 

"Is  it  to  find  out  whether  she  can  beat  the 
Goldwing?"  asked  Nat.  "She's  a  steamer,  and 
she  ought  to  beat  her  every  time." 

"  Perhaps  she  ought  to,  but  I  don't  intend  that 
she  shall." 

"  You  don't  expect  to  run  away  from  a  steamer, 
do  you,  Dory  ?  "  said  Dick  Short. 

"  I  don't  expect  to  let  her  catch  us ;  but  it  will 
depend  upon  how  fast  that  steamer  can  go," 
added  Dory. 

"But  what  does  she  want  to  catch  us   for, 


124  ALL  ADRIFT;  OB, 

Dory?"  persisted  Corny,  repeating  the  question 
he  had  put  before. 

"I  thought  I  told  you  about  it.  The  man  in 
the  bow  wanted  to  buy  the  Goldwing.  I  bid 
over  him,  and  got  the  boat.  That  made  him  mad. 
This  is  all  I  know  about  the  reason  for  his  chasing 
us.  He  is  a  wicked  fellow,  and  I  think  he  means 
to  do  me  harm.  All  I  want  to  do  is  to  keep  out 
of  his  way,"  replied  Dory.  "  I  don't  know  what 
he  wants  of  me,  and  you  are  just  as  wise  as  I 
am.  We  won't  say  any  thing  more  about  that 
matter." 

"Of  course  he  will  catch  you,"  added  Thad. 
"  Who  ever  heard  of  such  a  thing  as  a  sailboat 
running  away  from  a  steamer  ?  " 

"  No  matter  whether  we  ever  heard  of  such  a 
thing  or  not,  we  are  going  to  try  it  now,"  replied 
Dory.  "But  I  can't  have  you  fellows  flying 
about  all  over  the  boat  any  longer.  Two  of  you 
sit  on  each  side  of  me,  and  I  think  there  will  be 
fun  in  this  thing  before  we  get  through  with 
it." 

"  All  right,  Dory :  you  are  the  captain  of  this 
ship,  and  we  will  do  just  what  you  say,"  replied 
Corny. 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  125 

The  boys  disposed  of  themselves  as  the  skipper 
directed,  and  sat  as  still  as  they  could,  which  was 
not  saying  much.  But  Dory  was  satisfied  that 
they  would  keep  still  enough  as  soon  as  the  boat 
got  a  little  more  to  the  eastward,  where  she 
would  feel  the  full  force  of  the  strong  breeze. 

"She  is  gaining  on  us,  Dory,"  said  Thad; 
and  he  and  his  companions  were  watching  the 
Missisquoi  all  the  time.  They  were  beginning  to 
get  excited  over  the  race,  though  they  seemed 
to  be  sure  that  it  would  soon  come  to  an  end  by 
the  steamer  overtaking  the  Goldwing. 

"  I  expect  her  to  gain  on  us  while  we  are  here 
in  still  water;  but  I  think  she  will  roll  a  great 
deal  more  than  the  Goldwing  when  we  get  out 
into  the  lake,"  replied  Dory. 

"Creation!  didn't  she  roll  coming  over  from 
Burlington  ?  "  exclaimed  Corny.  "  I  thought  she 
was  going  to  roll  clear  over.  Mr.  Button  the 
engineer  said  Captain  Vesey  did  not  know  how 
to  handle  her." 

"  Don't  you  expect  that  the  Goldwing  will  roll 
in*the  big  waves  ?  "  asked  Thad. 

"  Of  course  she  will ;  but  she  sits  lighter  on  the 
water  than  that  steamer,  and  she  won't  dive  into 


126  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

the  waves  so  deep.  But  wait,  and  we  shall  soon 
see  what  we  can  do,"  replied  Dory.  "  You  fellows 
have  eaten  all  you  can,  and  I  have  not  had  any 
thing  since  my  breakfast  early  this  morning." 

"  I  will  steer  for  you,  Dory,  while  you  eat  your 
dinner,"  proposed  Corny. 

"  Did  you  ever  steer  a  sailboat,  Corny  ?  "  asked 
Dory  with  a  smile. 

"  I  never  did ;  but  I  think  I  can  do  it,"  replied 
the  volunteer. 

"I  would  rather  have  you  make  a  beginning 
when  it  don't  blow  quite  so  hard.  If  the  Gold- 
wing  is  going  to  upset,  I  want  to  know  how  it  is 
done." 

No  one  in  the  party  had  ever  sailed  a  boat, 
and  the  skipper  was  not  willing  to  resign  the 
helm  to  any  of  them.  At  his  request  Corny 
brought  him  something  to  eat,  and  he  disposed  of 
it  while  he  kept  his  place  at  the  helm.  By  the 
time  he  had  finished  his  first  slice  of  ham,  and 
a  corresponding  portion  of  bread  and  cheese,  the 
Goldwing  was  up  with  Garden  Island.  The 
skipper,  for  his  own  purposes,  had  run  to  the  west 
of  it.  Although  he  felt  like  disposing  of  another 
slice  of  ham,  he  was  too  much  interested  in  his 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  127 

occupation  to  attend  further  to  the  question  of 
rations  just  then. 

Dory  did  not  tell  his  companions  what  he  had 
been  thinking  about;  but  he  hoped  to  leave  the 
Missisquoi  at  this  point,  or  to  get  a  better  start 
of  her.  He  preferred  to  explain  his  plan  after 
he  had  carried  it  out  if  it  were  a  success,  or  to 
keep  silent  if  it  were  a  failure.  He  watched  the 
Missisquoi  very  closely,  for  his  own  movements 
would  depend  upon  hers.  There  was  plenty  of 
water  to  the  northward  of  the  island,  but  there 
was  a  shoal  to  the  southward. 

If  the  captain  of  the  steamer  had  been  wise, 
if  he  had  had  his  eyes  open,  he  would  have  kept 
to  the  eastward ;  but  he  followed  directly  in  the 
wake  of  the  Goldwing,  and  was  within  less  than 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  her. 

"  Do  you  know  how  much  water  the  Missisquoi 
draws,  Thad?"  asked  Dory,  as  the  Goldwing 
came  up  with  the  island. 

"  I  heard  Captain  Vesey  say  that  she  drew  six 
feet  when  she  had  her  coal  in,"  replied  Thad. 

"  I  heard  him  say  so  when  we  were  off  Apple- 
Tree  Shoal,"  added  Corny.  "  I  asked  him  why  he 
didn't  go  close  up  to  the  buoy ;  and  he  said  there 


128  ALL  ADRIFT;  OB, 

was  not  more  than  six  feet  of  water  on  the  shoal, 
and  the  boat  might  touch  bottom." 

"I  thought  she  didn't  draw  over  five  feet.  If 
she  draws  six,  so  much  the  better,"  added  Dory. 

"Why  is  it  so  much  the  better,  Dory?"  asked 
Thad. 

"Hold  on  all,  and  don't  ask  any  more  ques- 
tions ! "  said  Dory,  laughing.  "  I  have  business 
on  my  hands  just  now,  and  I  will  tell  you  all  about 
it  in  about  ten  minutes." 

The  skipper  had  gybed  the  boat  under  the  lee 
of  Valcour's ;  but  the  wind  was  too  fresh  where  he 
was  now  to  repeat  the  manoeuvre.  It  was  a  gale 
in  this  part  of  the  lake,  and  the  Goldwing  worked 
very  lively. 

"  Corny,  I  want  you  to  handle  that  jib-sheet," 
said  he  when  he  was  ready  for  his  next  move. 

"But  I  don't  know  how,"  pleaded  Corny. 

"  Do  what  I  tell  you,  and  do  it  in  a  hurry  when 
I  give  the  word.  This  is  the  jib-sheet,  fast  to  this 
cleat.  When  I  shift  the  helm,  the  jib  will  shake. 
Haul  in  upon  it  as  fast  as  you  can,  and  get  all  you 
can,  and  keep  it  when  you  get  it.  I  shall  do  the 
same  with  the  main-sheet." 

The  skipper  put  the  helm  down. 


THE  GOLDWENG  CLUB.  129 


CHAPTER  XII. 

A  ROUGH  TIME  OF  IT. 

E  instant  the  helm  was  put  down,  the  head 
of  the  boat  promptly  swung  up  in  the  di- 
rection of  the  wind.  Both  of  the  sails  began  to 
flap  and  bang  in  the  fierce  gale. 

"Now  haul  in,  Corny!"  said  Dory,  as  he  did 
the  same  by  the  main-sheet.  "No,  Thad !  He 
don't  want  any  help.  Let  him  alone !  Take  a 
turn  on  the  cleat,"  added  the  skipper,  when  one 
of  the  party  wanted  to  help. 

It  was  necessary  only  to  take  in  the  slack  line 
of  the  sheet,  and  no  hard  pulling  was  required. 
The  boat  was  now  headed  to  the  westward,  which 
was  the  opposite  course  from  that  which  she  had 
been  sailing  when  he  headed  her  to  the  southward. 

"  Now  we  are  on  the  wind,  which  is  said  to  be 
the  dangerous  course  in  the  Goldwing's  sailing," 
added  the  skipper ;  and  this  was  the  first  time  he 
had  her  close-hauled. 


130  ALL  ADBIPT  ;    OR, 

He  watched  her  with  the  most  intense  interest, 
but  he  had  no  fault  to  find  with  the  boat.  It 
took  all  his  strength  at  the  long  tiller  to  keep  her 
from  coming  up  into  the  wind.  There  was  no 
lee  helm  now,  with  only  a  jib  and  mainsail ;  though 
she  might  exhibit  this  failing  when  she  had  all  sail 
on.  In  fact,  she  carried  too  much  weather  helm ; 
for  it  impeded  her  progress. 

"  She  works  like  a  lady !  "  exclaimed  Dory  with 
enthusiasm. 

Having  satisfied  himself  in  regard  to  the  work- 
ing of  the  boat,  he  turned  his  attention  to  the 
Missisquoi  again.  He  saw  that  Pearl  Hawlinshed 
was  at  the  wheel  of  the  steamer.  He  had  evi- 
dently learned  wisdom  from  the  movements  of  the 
Goldwing.  He  had  turned  the  helm  of  the 
steamer,  so  that  she  was  now  headed  to  the  west- 
ward. 

Probably  Pearl  had  begun  to  do  some  reasoning 
by  this  time.  Instead  of  running  directly  for  the 
schooner,  he  had  taken  a  Course  to  intercept  her 
when  she  attempted  to  go  to  the  northward,  as  he 
doubtless  believed  she  intended  to  do. 

The  Goldwing  was  now  on  the  starboard  tack ; 
and  the  Missisquoi  was  running  abreast  of  her, 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  131 

towards  the  west  shore  of  the  lake.  Dory  con- 
trived to  cramp  her  so  that  she  did  not  make  much 
headway,  and  the  steamer  gained  so  rapidly  on 
her  that  she  was  soon  a  considerable  distance 
ahead  of  her. 

"  Now,  Dick  Short,  we  are  going  about.  When 
Corny  lets  go  of  the  weather  jib-sheet,  I  want  you 
to  haul  on  the  lee-sheet,"  said  the  skipper  when 
he  was  ready  for  the  next  move. 

"Where  are  we  going  next,  Dory?"  asked 
Thad,  confused  by  the  many  movements  of  the 
skipper. 

"No  questions  now,  Thad.  Keep  your  eyes 
wide  open,  and  you  will  see  for  yourself.  Let  go, 
and  haul!  Let  go  the  sheet,  Corny!  Haul  in, 
Dick!  Be  lively  about  it!  You  must  get  the 
sheet  in  while  the  sail  is  shaking,  or  you  can't  do 
it  at  all,"  said  Dory  sharply,  as  he  put  the  helm 
down. 

The  Goldwing  whirled  around  like  a  top,  when 
her  helm  went  down.  The  hands  in  charge  of 
the  jib-sheets  were  zealous  to  do  their  duty 
promptly,  and  in  an  instant  the  sails  were  draw- 
ing on  the  port  tack. 

But  this  did  not  give  the  course    the   skipper 


132  ALL  ADRIFT;    OB, 

wanted.  He  handled  the  boat  very  cautiously  on 
account  of  her  bad  reputation. 

Gradually  he  let  off  the  main-sheet,  while  Dick 
was  directed  to  do  the  same  with  the  jib-sheet. 
At  the  same  time  Dory  kept  the  helm  up,  and  the 
boat  fell  off  until  she  was  headed  for  the  southern 
side  of  Garden  Island.  She  took  the  wind  over 
her  port  quarter.  It  came  in  heavy  gusts,  the 
Goldwing  careening  until  her  gunwale  went 
under  at  every  flaw. 

"  I  don't  know  about  this,"  said  Thad. 

"  About  what,  Thad  ?  "  asked  Dory  quietly. 

"We  are  about  half  under  water.  This  is 
shaky  sailing,  in  my  opinion,"  added  Thad,  as 
a  wave  broke  against  the  side  of  the  boat,  and 
drenched  most  of  the  members  of  the  club  to 
the  skin. 

"We  may  get  wholly  under  water  before  we 
get  through  with  this  trip,"  replied  Dory.  "  But 
she  will  come  up  every  time  she  goes  down.  For 
my  part,  I  never  saw  a  boat  work  any  better  than 
the  Goldwing  is  doing." 

"  But  you  will  drown  the  whole  of  us,  Dory !  " 
protested  Thad. 

"  She  is  working  first-rate,  Thad ;  arid  this  isn't 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  133 

more  than  half  as  lively  as  it  will  be  before  we 
get  across  the  lake." 

"  Are  you  going  across  the  lake  now,  Dory  ? " 
asked  Corny. 

"  Certainly  I  am.  We  are  bound  for  Burlington, 
aren't  we  ?  Didn't  you  want  me  to  take  you  home  ?  " 

"  But  we  don't  want  you  to  drown  us,  and  this 
boat  has  a  bad  habit  of  not  keeping  on  the  top  of 
the  water." 

"  She  will  keep  on  the  top  of  the  water  most  of 
the  time,  and  the  worst  you  have  to  fear  is  a  wet 
jacket." 

Just  as  the  schooner  was  going  in  under  the 
lee  of  Garden  Island,  another  wave  broke  against 
her  side,  and  about  half  a  barrel  of  water  dropped 
into  the  standing-room. 

"  There  it  is  again ! "  exclaimed  Thad. 

"  That's  all  right,"  added  Dory.  "  No  boat  can 
keep  all  the  water  on  the  outside  of  her  in  such 
a  sea  as  this.  But  she  is  working  beautifully. 
Do  you  see  that  rope,  Thad?"  continued  the 
skipper,  pointing  to  the  line  by  which  the  centre- 
board was  handled. 

"  I  see  it,  but  I  haven't  the  least  idea  what  it 
is  for." 


134  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

"I  want  you  and  Nat  to  haul  up  the  centre- 
board, for  we  don't  need  quite  so  much  of  it 
while  we  are  going  free." 

The  two  boys  named  cast  off  the  line,  and 
pulled  with  all  their  might ;  but  they  could  not 
start  the  board,  as  Dory  did  not  suppose  they 
could  while  the  whole  force  of  the  wind  was 
acting  against  it.  The  two  hands  at  the  line  did 
not  know  what  the  centre-board  was,  or  where  it 
was ;  but  the  skipper  thought,  as  they  seemed  to 
be  a  little  concerned  about  their  safety,  that  it 
was  better  for  them  to  be  employed. 

"It's  no  use!"  cried  Thad.  "I  don't  know 
what  we  are  pulling  at;  but,  whatever  it  is,  it 
won't  come." 

"What  is  there  down  there?"  asked  Nat  Long, 
looking  into  the  pump,  which  was  at  the  end  of 
the  centre-board  casing. 

"  Now  try  it  once  more,  fellows,"  said  Dory,  as 
he  luffed  the  boat  up,  and  thus  relieved  the  centre- 
board from  the  pressure. 

"  Now  it  comes,"  added  Thad.  "  Shall  we  haul 
the  thing  through  that  hole  ?  " 

"  No :  that  will  do.  Make  the  line  fast  to  the 
cleat,  as  you  found  it." 


THE  GOLDWING    CLUB.  135 

"But  what  does  all  that  mean?  I  never  saw 
a  boat  that  had  a  thing  like  that  in  it,"  inquired 
Nat  Long. 

"  You  will  learn  all  about  it  by  and  by.  I  have 
no  time  now  to  explain  any  thing,"  answered 
Dory,  looking  behind  him  to  ascertain  the  position 
of  the  Missisquoi. 

The  steamer  had  come  about.  Pearl  had  found 
that  he  had  been  reckoning  wrong  in  regard  to 
the  movements  of  the  Goldwing.  Judging  from 
his  present  career,  he  was  disgusted  with  strategy ; 
for  he  was  again  running  directly  for  the  schooner. 
The  Missisquoi  was  laboring  heavily  in  the  big 
waves,  and  her  pilot  did  not  appear  to  know  how 
to  favor  her.  At  any  rate,  he  followed  the  schooner 
without  regard  to  the  wind  or  the  waves. 

"She  is  after  us,"  said  Corny,  as  the  Goldwing 
went  into  the  comparatively  smooth  water  under 
the  lee  of  Garden  Island.  "  She  is  going  to  catch 
us,  too,  in  the  course  of  the  next  fifteen  min- 
utes." 

"  When  she  catches  us,  you  tell  me  of  it :  will 
you,  Corny  ?  "  added  Dory. 

"I  think  you  will  know  it  as  well  as  I  do, 
Dory.  What's  the  use  of  keeping  this  thing  up  ? 


136  ALL  ADRIFT;  OK, 

Let  us  hold  on,  and  see  what  the  fellow  wants  of 
you,"  replied  Corny. 

"  We  will  have  the  fun  of  the  race  if  we  don't 
have  any  thing  more,"  said  Dory.  "This  is 
smooth  sailing  just  here,  but  we  shall  have  it 
rough  enough  in  about  two  minutes  more.  If  any 
of  you  fellows  don't  want  to  go  back  to  Burling- 
ton, I  will  put  you  on  shore  at  Garden  Island." 

"We  might  have  to  stay  there  a  week,"  sug- 
gested Corny. 

"I  couldn't  help  that,"  answered  Dory.  "I 
told  you  not  to  come  with  me  if  you  were  afraid 
of  the  boat." 

"  She  is  as  safe  for  us  as  she  is  for  Dory,"  added 
Dick  Short. 

"We  shall  get  under  the  lee  of  Providence 
Island  in  about  twenty  minutes.  If  you  can 
stand  it  for  that  time,  you  will  be  all  right,"  con- 
tinued the  skipper,  who  did  not  wish  to  waste  his 
time,  and  lose  the  race,  by  putting  any  of  his  crew 
on  shore. 

"I  don't  want  to  go  ashore,"  said  Nat  Long. 
"  I  can  stand  it  as  long  as  Dory  can,  and  I  shall 
not  back  out." 

This  exhibition  of  pluck  had  its  effect  on  the 


THE  GOLD  WING  CLUB.          137 

others,  and  no  one  was  willing  to  admit  that  he 
wished  to  go  ashore.  But  the  appearance  of  the 
lake  ahead  was  appalling  to  most  of  them,  though 
they  had  crossed  it  that  day  in  the  little  steamer. 
The  bad  reputation  of  the  Goldwing  was  what 
made  it  look  so  dubious.  Dory  had  been  as 
doubtful  about  crossing  as  any  of  them;  but  he 
had  tested  the  boat  under  her  present  sail,  and 
all  his  doubts  had  been  removed.  For  a  boy  of 
his  age  he  had  had  a  great  deal  of  experience 
in  sailing  a  boat;  and  he  knew  by  the  feeling, 
rather  than  by  any  thing  he  could  see,  that  the 
schooner  was  working  well.  He  believed  that 
she  was  entirely  safe. 

He  had  ascertained  the  draught  of  the  Gold- 
wing  at  the  wharf,  and  he  was  perfectly  familiar 
with  every  part  of  the  lake.  When  the  boat 
came  up  with  the  island,  he  ran  within  a  few  rods 
of  it.  He  looked  astern  at  the  Missisquoi  as  he 
came  into  the  still  water  under  the  lee  of  the 
island.  She  had  been  gaining  rapidly  upon  him ; 
and,  if  his  strategy  failed,  Pearl  Hawlinshed 
would  soon  be  alongside  of  the  Goldwing. 

But  he  could  hardly  conceive  of  such  a  thing 
as  its  failing.  He  watched  the  steamer  with  the 


138  ALL  ADRIFT;    OR, 

most  intense  interest  as  he  increased  his  distance 
from  the  island.  The  schooner  passed  out  into 
the  open  lake.  The  gusts  of  wind  increased  in 
fury,  and  even  the  reefed  mainsail  seemed  to  be 
more  sail  than  she  could  carry. 

More  than  once,  under  the  pressure  of  the 
savage  gusts,  the  boat  heeled  down  till  the  water 
rolled  in  over  the  lee  gunwale.  The  heavy  waves 
broke  continually  over  the  other  side ;  and,  before 
the  Goldwing  was  half  way  across  the  open  part 
of  the  lake,  the  water  rose  above  her  bottom 
boards. 

"This  is  awful,  Dory,"  said  Thad.  "I  don't 
believe  we  shall  ever  get  to  the  other  side  of  the 
lake.  If  I  had  thought  it  was  half  as  bad  as  this, 
I  wouldn't  have  come." 

"  It  is  very  wet ;  and  that  is  the  worst  you  can 
say  of  it,"  replied  Dory.  "  We  are  going  over 
all  right,  but  we  must  keep  more  of  this  water 
on  the  outside  of  the  boat.  Thad,  you  may  man 
the  pump ;  for  it  is  getting  rather  damp  in  the 
standing-room." 

The  members  of  the  Goldwing  Club  looked 
decidedly  shaky,  with  the  exception  of  the  skip- 
per. No  one  responded  to  the  timid  sentiment  of 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  139 

Thad;  but  probably  all  of  them  felt  it,  and 
wished  they  were  on  shore,  though  that  shore 
were  the  one  they  had  just  left. 

"  The  Missisquoi  has  stopped ! "  cried  Corny, 
when  the  Goldwing  was  about  half  way  over  to 
Providence  Island.  "She  has  chosen  a  quiet 
place  under  the  lee  of  that  little  island." 

"  She  has  stopped,  that's  a  fact,"  added  Thad. 

"  I  thought  she  would,"  replied  Dory,  as  he  let 
off  the  sheet  whes  a  heavy  gust  struck  the  sails. 
"  The  Missisquoi  is  aground." 


140  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

SAFE  UNDER  A  LEE. 

"  ~i  TOW  do  you  know  she  is  aground,  Dory  ?  " 
—  asked  Corny,  after  a  careful  examination 
of  the  position  of  the  Missisquoi. 

"  She  wouldn't  have  stopped  there  if  she  hadn't 
got  aground.  She  has  done  the  very  thing  I 
wanted  her  to  do,  and  the  very  thing  I  did  my 
best  to  have  her  do,"  replied  Dory  triumphantly. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  you  did  it,  Dory  ?  " 
asked  Thad,  still  pumping1  away  with  all  his 
might. 

"I  don't  mean  to  say  that  I  got  the  steamer 
aground.  I  saw  that  neither  Captain  Vesey  nor 
the  other  fellow  knew  much  about  the  lake ;  for 
the  Missisquoi  followed  the  Goldwing  wherever 
she  went,"  Dory  explained.  "  I  ran  close  to  the 
island,  hoping  the  steamer  would  follow  me,  as 
she  has  been  doing,  because  there  is  not  more  than 
four  feet  of  water  close  up  to  the  land  where  I 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  141 

went.  She  had  either  to  follow  us  in  a  straight 
line,  or  to  go  to  the  southward  of  the  shoal.  I 
was  sure  to  make  something  in  getting  away  from 
her." 

"  What  will  she  do  now  ?  "  inquired  Dick  Short. 

"She  must  either  work  off  the  shoal,  or  stay 
there ;  and  I  am  sure  I  don't  care  what  she  does," 
added  Dory,  as  he  looked  ahead  at  the  savage 
waves  that  were  piling  up  in  the  path  of  the 
schooner. 

The  Goldwing  was  more  than  half  way  across 
the  lake :  and,  the  farther  she  went,  the  rougher 
the  lake  was ;  for  the  longer  was  the  sweep  of  the 
wind.  But  Dory  was  not  in  a  hurry  when  he 
found  the  steamer  could  no  longer  follow  him. 
He  had  been  very  careful  not  to  lose  any  thing  by 
letting  off  the  main-sheet,  except  when  it  was 
absolutely  necessary  to  do  so  in  order  to  keep  the 
boat  right  side  up. 

Going  nearly  before  the  wind,  it  took  a  long 
sweep  to  reduce  the  pressure  on  the  mainsail ;  and 
the  water  flowed  in  over  the  lee  side  about  as  fast 
as  Thad  could  pump  it  out.  The  boys  looked  at 
each  other,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  they  all 
wished  they  were  on  shore.  They  kept  an  eye 


142  ALL  ADRIFT;    OR, 

on  the  skipper's  face,  to  note  any  anxiety  or  alarm 
on  his  part.  Dory  was  confident  the  boat  would 
not  take  in  water  enough  to  swamp  her  while  he 
could  control  her  with  the  helm ;  but  he  felt  that 
he  had  his  hands  full,  and  that  he  should  be  very 
fortunate  if  nothing  happened  to  cripple  the 
boat. 

"  I  have  got  about  enough  of  this  thing,"  said 
Thad. 

"Nat,  you  take  Thad's  place  at  the  pump," 
interposed  Dory.  "  One  hand  needn't  do  all  the 
hard  work." 

"  All  right !  I  am  ready  to  do  my  share  of  the 
work,"  replied  Nat,  as  he  took  Thad's  place  at  the 
pump. 

"I  didn't  mean  that.  I  am  not  tired,"  added 
Thad.  "  The  farther  we  go  the  worse  it  is,  Dory ; 
and  I  have  had  about  enough  of  this  sort  of  sail- 
ing." 

"Well,  what  are  you  going  to  do  about  it?" 
asked  Dory  pleasantly.  "Are  you  going  to  get 
out,  and  walk  the  rest  of  the  way  ?  Or  will  you 
swim  ashore?  I  don't  think  you  will  find  it  is 
any  easier  walking  or  swimming,  or  any  safer." 

"  Can't  we  turn  about  and  go  back  ?  "  inquired 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  143 

Thad,  looking  with  dismay  at  the  waves  ahead, 
and  at  the  water  that  poured  in  over  both  rails. 

"  We  are  more  than  half  way  over,  and  it  is 
hardly  worth  while  to  go  about,"  replied  Dory. 
"  If  we  return,  we  shall  have  to  beat  back ;  but 
we  are  in  no  hurry  now,  and  perhaps  we  can  ease 
off  a  little  more." 

"  I  don't  see  how  you  are  going  to  ease  off, 
Dory,"  said  Thad.  "Here  we  are  right  in  the 
thick  of  it;  and  we  must  take  it  as  it  comes, 
unless  you  go  back." 

"Do  you  see  those  cleats  on  the  mainmast, 
Thad?"  asked  Dory,  making  ready  to  do  some- 
thing,—  "one  on  each  side  of  the  mast,  with  a 
rope  leading  up  ?  Do  you  see  them  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  what  cleats  are,"  answered  Thad. 

"  Those  brass  things,  with  ropes  around  them." 

"  I  see  them.  These  are  what  you  hoist  the  sail 
with,"  added  Thad,  as  he  grasped  the  ropes. 

"  Now  let  go  both  ropes  together  when  I  give 
the  word.  Not  yet!  All  the  rest  of  you,  grab 
the  sail  when  it  comes  down,  and  mind  the  gaff 
don't  hit  you  in  the  head." 

"What  are  you  going  to  do,  Dory?"  asked 
Thad.  "  I  have  the  ropes  in  my  hands." 


144  ALL  ADRIFT;  OB, 

"  I  am  going  to  take  in  the  mainsail.  That  will 
ease  her  off;  and  I  can  work  her  before  it  with 
the  jib  alone." 

At  this  moment  a  tremendous  gust  struck  the 
mainsail,  and  Dory  crowded  the  helm  down ;  but 
the  schooner  took  in  a  large  quantity  of  water 
over  the  lee  side  as  she  careened. 

"Let  go  the  halyards,  Thad!"  shouted  the 
skipper  as  the  boat  swept  around.  "Look  out 
for  the  sail,  all  of  you ! " 

But  the  sail  did  not  readily  come  down,  the 
pressure  upon  it  causing  it  to  bind.  But  Dory 
continued  to  luff  until  it  was  released. 

"  Haul  down  the  sail  lively ! "  called  Dory 
with  energy,  when  the  canvas  began  to  thrash 
and  beat  about  as  though  it  was  bound  to  tear 
itself  into  shreds. 

Under  the  direction  of  the  skipper  the  sail  was 
secured  after  a  great  deal  of  difficulty.  Dory  let 
her  off  again  under  the  jib  alone.  This  proved 
to  be  a  decided  change  for  the  better.  The  Gold- 
wing  kept  on  a  tolerably  even  keel,  and  drove 
ahead  almost  as  fast  as  she  did  before. 

"She's  doing  a  good  deal  better,"  said  Thad, 
who  began  to  breathe  freer  than  he  had  since  the 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  145 

boat  went  into  the  worst  of  it.  "  Why  didn't  we 
do  that  before  ?  " 

"Because  we  were  trying  to  keep  out  of  the 
way  of  the  Missisquoi  before,"  replied  Dory. 

But  it  was  not  baby  play,  even  with  nothing 
but  the  jib  set.  The  mainsail  had  steadied  the 
boat  to  some  extent ;  but  now  she  began  to  roll 
tremendously,  and  was  not  so  readily  controlled 
by  the  helm.  The  waves  broke  over  her  on  the 
weather  side,  but  she  did  not  scoop  up  the  water 
on  the  lee  side. 

The  Gold  wing  had  taken  in  so  much  water  that 
it  was  swashing  about  in  the  standing-room. 
Dory  directed  Nat  to  keep  pumping.  Dick  Short 
was  told  to  take  a  pail  which  belonged  to  the 
boat,  and  Corny  was  armed  with  a  tin  dipper. 
The  members  of  the  club  were  glad  to  have  some- 
thing to  do,  as  almost  any  nervous  person  is ;  and 
they  worked  with  tremendous  zeal.  In  a  short 
time  the  pump  sucked,  and  not  another  dipper- 
ful  of  water  could  be  taken  up  in  the  well. 

"  Now  we  are  all  right,"  said  Dory.  "  We  can 
take  it  easy  now." 

"We  are  almost  over  to  Providence  Island," 
added  Corny. 


146  ALL  ADRIFT;  OK, 

"  We  shall  be  in  smooth  water  in  ten  minutes 
more." 

"  But  we  are  a  long  way  from  Burlington,"  sug- 
gested Thad. 

"At  least  a  dozen  miles,"  said  the  skipper. 
"  Of  course  you  know  that  we  can't  get  there, 
fellows,  without  going  outside  of  Colchester 
Point.  All  the  rest  of  the  way  is  quite  as  bad 
as,  if  not  worse  than,  we  have  been  having  for 
the  last  twenty  minutes." 

"Are  we  going  right  along  to  Burlington, 
Dory  ?  "  asked  Thad  in  dismay  at  the  information 
given  by  the  skipper. 

"  I  think  not  at  present,"  replied  Dory.  "  But 
you  have  been  through  this  once  before  to-day." 

"  It  wasn't  half  so  bad  as  it  is  now,"  protested 
Corny.  "  It  didn't  begin  to  blow  very  hard  until 
we  got  to  Valcour's  Island." 

"  Did  the  Missisquoi  make  better  weather  of  it 
than  the  Gold  wing  ?  "  asked  Dory. 

"  The  lake  didn't  begin  to  be  as  rough  as  it  was 
a  little  while  ago,"  replied  Corny.  "  The  steamer 
pitched  tremendously,  and  we  all  had  to  pump 
after  we  got  beyond  Valcour's." 

"Do  you  see   any  thing  of  the  Missisquoi?" 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  147' 

asked  Dory,  who  had  been  too  busy  to  give  any 
attention  to  the  steamer. 

"  I  can  just  see  her  at  the  south  of  the  island. 
She  has  not  got  off  yet,"  replied  Corny. 

"  She  is  under  the  lee  of  the  two  islands ;  and 
they  can  be  very  comfortable  on  board  of  her  for 
the  rest  of  the  day,  —  a  great  deal  more  comforta- 
ble than  they  would  be  out  in  the  lake  where  we 
have  been,"  added  Dory. 

The  Goldwing  was  abreast  of  Providence  Isl- 
and by  this  time.  The  waves  swept  furiously 
along  the  south-west  shore  of  the  land. 

As  soon  as  she  reached  the  south-east  point,  the 
skipper  luffed  up ;  but  the  boat  was  not  inclined 
to  make  any  headway  on  the  new  course. 

"  Let  off  the  centre-board,  Thad,"  said  the  skip- 
per, as  the  boat  began  to  make  more  leeway  than 
headway. 

Thad  had  got  the  hang  of  this  rope ;  and,  as  the 
centre-board  went  down,  the  boat  came  up  to  the 
work.  With  the  help  of  an  oar  and  a  great  deal 
of  coaxing,  the  skipper  got  her  close  up  to  the 
shore  in  seven  feet  of  water.  He  had  instructed 
Corny  how  to  get  the  anchor  overboard.  The  boat 
was  entirely  out  of  the  heavy  sea,  though  the  water 


148  ALL  ADRIFT;    OB, 

rose  and  fell  under  the  influence  of  the  waves  which 
were  rolling  along  the  other  side  of  the  island. 

"  Here  we  are  as  safe  as  though  we  had  the  boat 
on  the  top  of  Mansfield  Mountain,"  said  Dory, 
after  he  had  secured  the  cable,  and  stowed  the  jib. 

"  I  never  expected  to  come  out  of  it  alive,"  said 
Thad,  as  the  skipper  seated  himself  in  the  stand- 
ing-room to  recover  from  the  excitement  of  the 
perilous  run  across  the  lake. 

"  Nor  I  either,"  added  Nat  Long. 

"It  looked  very  shaky,"  said  Corny;  "but  I 
didn't  give  it  up  at  any  time." 

"  Now,  really,  Dory,  did  you  expect  to  get  out 
of  that  scrape?  "  asked  Thad.  "Be  honest  about 
it,  and  tell  us  what  you  actually  thought." 

"  Of  course  I  knew  that  something  might  break, 
just  as  I  know  that  a  horse  may  run  away  with 
me  when  I'm  out  riding.  The  wagon  or  the  har- 
ness might  break,  and  that  would  spoil  the  best 
calculation,"  replied  Dory. 

"  But,  without  any  thing  breaking,  didn't  you 
expect  the  boat  would  go  to  the  bottom  ?  "  urged 
Thad. 

"  I  didn't  expect  any  thing  of  the  kind.  I  have 
been  out  in  a  sailboat  when  it  was  as  bad  or 


THE   GOLD  WING   CLUB.  149 

worse  than  it  is  to-day.  If  nothing  broke,  I  knew 
we  should  come  out  of  it  all  right ;  and  I  never 
thought  of  such  a  thing  as  going  to  the  bottom. 
It  looks  a  good  deal  worse  to  you  fellows  who 
were  never  out  in  a  sailboat  when  it  blew  hard 
than  it  really  is.  I  didn't  think  there  was  any 
great  danger  when  we  started  out:  if  I  had,  I 
shouldn't  have  come  over,"  said  Dory  quietly. 

The  members  of  the  Goldwing  Club  had  the 
idea  that  they  had  had  a  narrow  escape,  and  the 
skipper  was  not  inclined  to  allow  them  to  make 
heroes  of  themselves.  The  motion  of  a  boat  in  a 
heavy  sea  seems  terrible  to  those  who  are  not 
accustomed  to  it,  and  the  boys  were  disposed  to 
make  the  worst  of  it. 

"  I  wouldn't  try  it  again  if  you  would  give  me 
the  Goldwing,"  said  Thad  with  emphasis. 

"  After  you  have  been  through  that  sort  of  thing 
a  few  times,  you  will  not  mind  it  at  all.  It  was 
what  I  call  a  lively  time  :  that's  all,"  added  Dory. 
"I  went  down  to  St.  John  with  Bill  Pitts  in  a 
sailboat,  and  we  had  a  rougher  time  than  this  all 
one  day." 

Dory  thought  he  should  like  the  rest  of  his 
dinner  by  this  time. 


150  ALL  ADRIFT;    OR, 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

EARLY  IN  THE  MORNING. 

E  skipper  of  the  Goldwing  had  an  excellent 
appetite,  and  the  other  members  of  the  club 
had  regained  theirs  by  this  time. 

Fortunately  they  had  plenty  of  provisions,  for 
there  was  nothing  for  them  to  do  but  eat  during 
the  rest  of  the  day.  It  continued  to  blow  as  fresh 
as  it  had  since  the  middle  of  the  forenoon  till 
dark. 

Dory  thought  it  would  abate  at  night,  but  there 
were  no  signs  of  a  change.  The  party  were  pretty 
thoroughly  tired  out  after  the  labor  and  the  ex- 
citement of  the  day.  The  boys  gaped  until  they 
had  nearly  thrown  their  jaws  out  of  joint. 

There  was  room  enough  in  the  cabin  for  four 
of  the  club,  —  two  in  the  berths,  and  two  on  the 
floor  between  them.  Dory  decided  to  sleep  in 
the  standing-room,  where  he  was  most  likely  to 
be  waked  by  any  change  in  the  position  of  the 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  151 

schooner.  By  eight  o'clock  all  hands  were  fast 
asleep.  Half  of  them  had  nothing  better  than 
"  the  soft  side  of  a  board  "  to  sleep  on,  but  they 
were  too  tired  to  need  beds  of  down. 

The  skipper  was  the  most  wakeful  sleeper  in 
the  party,  but  he  slept  for  several  hours  without 
waking.  When  he  did  wake,  he  sprang  to  his  feet 
as  if  conscious  that  he  had  neglected  his  duty  as 
a  faithful  skipper.  He  had  no  idea  of  what  time 
it  was  when  he  sprang  to  his  feet.  All  was  still 
around  him,  and  the  Goldwing  appeared  to  be  in 
precisely  the  position  he  had  left  her  when  he 
turned  in. 

He  could  no  longer  hear  the  roar  of  the  big 
waves  as  they  dashed  against  the  south  side  of 
the  island.  The  violent  wind  had  subsided,  and 
the  lake  seemed  to  be  as  calm  as  the  dream  of  an 
infant. 

He  looked  all  about  him  in  the  darkness,  but 
there  was  nothing  to  demand  his  attention.  His 
companions  were  all  sleeping,  and  some  of  them 
were  snoring,  on  their  hard  beds.  Dory  began  to 
gape  when  there  proved  to  be  no  grounds  for 
excitement.  He  concluded  that  he  could  not  do 
any  better  than  finish  his  night's  rest.  Taking 


152  ALL  ADRIFT;  OB, 

the  most  comfortable  position  he  could  find  in 
the  standing-room,  he  turned  in  again,  and  was 
soon  fast  asleep. 

When  he  woke  in  the  morning,  it  was  after  sun- 
rise. The  rest  of  the  club  were  still  fast  asleep. 
The  skipper  felt  like  a  new  man  after  his  long 
rest.  A  gentle  breeze  was  rippling  the  surface 
of  the  lake.  It  came  from  the  westward,  and  the 
promise  was  that  the  day  would  be  fine.  Without 
calling  his  companions,  he  loosed  the  sails,  and 
turned  out  the  reefs  from  the  fore  and  main  sails. 
He  laced  on  the  bonnet  of  the  jib,  and  shipped 
the  short  tiller,  instead  of  the  long  one  he  had 
used  the  day  before. 

So  far  he  had  not  seen  how  the  sails  set  when 
all  spread,  and  he  was  interested  in  his  present 
operation.  He  hoisted  the  mainsail.  It  was  not 
so  large  but  that  he  could  handle  the  throat  and 
peak  halyards  at  the  same  time.  He  was  entirely 
satisfied  with  the  set  of  this  sail.  The  set  of  the 
foresail  pleased  him  equally  well. 

The  anchor-rope  was  rove  through  a  block 
made  fast  near  the  heel  of  the  bowsprit,  so  that 
the  anchor  could  be  weighed  without  any  diffi- 
culty. He  succeeded  in  getting  it  up  without 


THE  GOLDWIETG  CLUB.  153 

waking  his  shipmates,  though  he  took  no  especial 
pains  to  avoid  arousing  them.  They  had  got  up 
at  four  o'clock  the  morning  before,  and  probably 
had  not  slept  much  lest  they  should  oversleep 
themselves,  and  lose  the  excursion  to  Platts- 
burgh. 

Dory  hoisted  the  jib.  He  was  delighted  with 
the  appearance  of  the  Goldwing  with  all  sail  set. 
There  was  hardly  a  puff  of  air  behind  the  island, 
and  it  was  some  time  before  he  got  fairly  under 
way.  But  he  enjoyed  the  sight  of  the  boat  so 
much,  that  he  was  in  no  haste  to  get  home.  So 
far  as  he  knew,  his  mother  supposed  that  he  was 
still  waiting  on  the  table  in  the  cabin  of  the 
steamer;  and  she  could  not  be  anxious  about 
him.  He  had  not  heard  of  the  loss  of  the  Au 
Sable,  and  he  had  no  suspicion  that  his  father 
was  not  still  piloting  her  up  and  down  the  lake. 

After  a  while  he  succeeded  in  getting  to  the 
southward  of  Providence  Island,  so  that  he  could 
catch  the  breeze  from  across  the  lake.  He  got 
just  enough  to  fill  the  sails ;  and  this  afforded  him 
the  opportunity  to  test  the  working  of  the  boat 
after  he  had  shifted  the  ballast,  and  changed  the 
position  of  the  foremast.  There  was  hardly  wind 


154  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

enough  for  a  fair  test,  but  he  was  delighted  to 
find  that  the  boat  carried  a  weather  helm. 

As  he  went  farther  out  from  the  land,  he  got 
more  breeze ;  and  the  result  was  entirely  satis- 
factory. Indeed,  he  had  been  practically  sure 
that  he  could  remedy  the  defect  in  the  working 
of  the  Goldwing  before  he  bought  her.  If  he 
failed  to  do  so,  he  had  thrown  his  money  away ; 
for  parties  would  not  employ  him  if  he  had  an 
unsafe  boat.  He  intended  to  invite  two  or  three 
prominent  boatmen  to  sail  with  him  when  he  had 
put  the  boat  in  first-rate  condition,  and  get  their 
opinion  as  to  her  safety  and  her  sailing  qualities. 

Dory  was  so  much  absorbed  in  the  beautiful 
appearance  of  the  Goldwing,  that  he  neglected  to 
do  what  an  old  sailor  is  continually  doing  when 
afloat.  He  had  not  looked  about  him  to  see  what 
beside  the  Goldwing  was  afloat  on  the  lake.  He 
had  headed  the  boat  to  the  south,  so  as  to  pass  to 
the  west  of  Stave  Island.  He  was  looking  ahead, 
and  dreaming  of  the  future. 

In  the  quiet  of  the  still  morning  he  heard  a 
puffing  sound  at  a  distance.  He  turned  to  see 
what  it  was,  and  discovered  a  small  steamer  about 
a  mile  to  the  westward  of  him.  He  had  seen  a 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  155 

boat  in  that  direction  when  he  came  out  from 
behind  the  island,  but  he  took  no  notice  of  her. 
He  had  forgotten  all  about  the  Missisquoi:  he 
had  not  even  thought  to  look  and  see  if  she  was 
still  aground  on  the  Garden  Island  shoal. 

The  sight  of  the  little  steamer,  like  a  dozen 
others  on  the  lake,  reminded  him  of  his  pursuer 
of  the  day  before.  He  looked  with  interest  in  the 
direction  of  Garden  Island.  The  Missisquoi  was 
not  there.  She  had  got  out  of  that  scrape.  Then 
he  noticed  that  the  little  steamer  in  the  middle  of 
the  lake  was  headed  directly  for  the  Goldwing. 
She  looked  just  like  his  late  pursuer. 

Dory  was  rather  excited  at  the  thought  of  a 
continuance  of  the  chase ;  for  with  the  light  breeze 
he  had  no  chance  at  all,  and  he  did  not  like  to 
come  in  collision  with  Pearl  Hawlinshed.  He 
looked  the  boat  over  very  carefully.  He  had  often 
sailed  in  her,  and  steered  her;  but  she  was  too 
far  off  for  him  to  be  entirely  sure  in  regard  to  her 
identity.  But  he  was  confident  that  it  was  the 
Missisquoi. 

Certainly  Pearl  Hawlinshed  had  some  very 
strong  motive  for  continuing  the  chase  a  second 
day.  What  could  he  want  of  him?  Dory  con- 


156  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

eluded  that  he  either  expected  to  recover  the 
Goldwing,  or  that  he  connected  him  in  some 
manner  with  his  father.  Whatever  his  motive, 
Dory  did  not  want  to  see  him. 

He  was  confident  that  the  steamer  he  saw  was 
the  Missisquoi,  and  that  Pearl  was  still  in  pursuit 
of  him.  He  had  led  the  steamer  into  a  trap  the 
day  before,  and  possibly  he  might  do  it  again. 
He  could  at  least  run  into  shoal-water,  where  the 
Missisquoi  could  not  follow  him.  He  was  fa- 
miliar with  the  soundings  in  all  parts  of  the 
lake,  for  his  father  had  instructed  him  in  the 
navigation. 

Dory  was  assured  that  the  wind  would  freshen 
as  the  sun  rose  higher ;  but  it  would  make  little 
difference  to  him  how  much  wind  there  was  by 
and  by,  if  the  steamer  overhauled  him  before  it 
came.  He  thought  he  was  making  about  four 
miles  an  hour,  but  the  steamer  was  good  for  at 
least  six.  She  had  a  mile  to  gain,  and  that  would 
take  her  ten  minutes.  Following  out  the  calcu- 
lation, Dory  thought  the  steamer  would  overhaul 
him  in  fifteen  minutes.  In  that  time  he  could 
make  a  mile. 

"  Hallo,  Dory  I     You  are  up  and  dressed,"  ex- 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  157 

claimed  Thad  Glovering,  thrusting  his  head  out  at 
the  cabin-door. 

"  Dry  up,  Thad !  I  am  busy  now,"  replied  Dory 
impatiently ;  for  he  was  in  the  midst  of  his  calcu- 
lation of  what  he  should  do  to  avoid  the  Missis- 
quoi. 

"  You  don't  seem  to  be  doing  any  thing,  Dory," 
added  Thad,  as  his  body  followed  his  head  out  at 
the  door. 

"  Don't  disturb  me,  please,  but  call  the  fellows. 
I  want  them  in  the  standing-room,  so  as  to  trim 
the  boat,  and  make  her  sail  better,"  answered  the 
skipper,  as  he  went  on  with  his  calculation. 

He  had  time  to  make  only  a  mile  before  the 
steamer  would  be  down  upon  him.  He  was  about 
abreast  of  Stave  Island  now.  Less  than  a  mile 
south  of  it  were  two  ledges,  on  which  the  water 
was  not  more  than  six  feet  deep.  Going  to  the 
southward,  vessels  must  keep  Juniper  Light  open 
to  the  westward  of  Colchester  Reef  Light,  in  order 
to  avoid  these  reefs.  There  were  no  buoys  on 
them,  for  they  lay  outside  of  any  usual  course  of 
vessels  bound  up  and  down  the  lake. 

The  experience  of  the  Missisquoi  in  getting 
aground  the  day  before  would  render  her  pilot 


158  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

wary  about  following  the  Goldwing.  The  two 
reefs  were  half  a  mile  apart ;  and  the  pursuer  must 
either  keep  away  from  them,  or  run  the  risk  of 
getting  aground  on  one  of  them.  The  Goldwing 
could  go  over  either  of  them  in  perfect  safety,  for 
she  drew  only  three  feet  with  her  board  up. 

Dory  was  satisfied  with  his  calculation,  and  he 
was  reasonably  confident  that  the  Missisquoi 
would  not  get  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the 
Goldwing;  but,  if  this  expedient  failed,  he  had 
another  to  which  he  intended  to  resort. 

The  other  members  of  the  club  had  come  out 
into  the  standing-room,  and  seated  themselves  as 
they  had  been  required  to  do  the  day  before. 
They  were  all  wide  awake;  but  they  had  been 
cautioned  by  Thad  not  to  disturb  the  skipper, 
and  they  were  silent  till  he  spoke  to  them. 

"  You  have  come  to  life  again,  fellows,"  said  he 
when  he  had  fully  arranged  his  plan. 

"  So  have  you,  Dory,"  replied  Corny.  "  Thad 
said  we  were  not  to  speak  to  you,  or  we  should 
bust  your  calculations.  We  all  thought  you  had 
the  blues." 

"  I  suppose  you  know  the  steamer  that  is  fol- 
lowing the  Goldwing,"  replied  Dory.  "  It  is  the 


THE   GOLDWING   CLUB.  159 

Missisquoi,  and  she  is  after  us  again  to-day.  I 
have  been  thinking  how  we  should  keep  out  of 
her  way." 

"  How  are  you  going  to  do  it  ?  "  asked  Corny. 
"We  may  enjoy  the  fun  if  we  know  something 
about  it." 

The  skipper  explained  his  plan  in  full,  and  his 
companions  were  quite  interested  in  it.  There 
was  no  chance  for  a  race  while  only  a  four-knot 
breeze  favored  the  Goldwing.  With  a  good  stiff 
breeze  the  skipper  believed  he  could  beat  the 
steamer;  but,  in  the  absence  of  such  a  wind,  he 
must  resort  to  strategy.  But  strategy  was  quite 
as  exciting  to  his  companions  as  a  race.  It 
afforded  the  opportunity  for  one  craft  to  come 
out  better  than  the  other. 

The  wind  was  sensibly  freshening,  but  the 
Goldwing  did  not  need  any  more  wind  just  then. 
She  was  almost  up  with  Stave  Island  Ledge,  and 
her  skipper  was  disposed  to  wait  and  see  what  his 
pursuer  would  do.  As  he  approached  the  dan- 
gerous reef,  —  dangerous  to  any  craft  drawing 
more  than  five  feet,  —  he  started  his  sheets,  and 
stood  to  the  eastward  of  the  rocks. 

The  Missisquoi  was  within  an  eighth  of  a  mile 


160  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

of  the  Gold  wing,  and  the  skipper  saw  that  Cap- 
tain Vesey  was  at  the  wheel.  He  seemed  to  know 
about  the  reef,  and  sheered  off.  Probably  he  had 
discovered  by  this  time  that  Pearl  Hawlinshed 
knew  even  less  than  he  did  about  the  difficulties 
of  navigation  in  Lake  Champlain. 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  161 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE  STBATEGY  OF  THE  CHASE. 

"pvORY  DORNWOOD  had  accomplished  all 
-*-^  that  he  intended  by  his  plan.  The  pilot  of 
the  Missisquoi  would  not  dare  to  cross  the  ledges, 
and  it  would  be  necessary  for  her  to  go  nearly  a 
mile  to  the  southward  to  get  around  them.  Dory 
calculated  that  his  manoeuvre  had  given  him  two 
miles  the  start  of  the  steamer. 

Captain  Vesey  and  Pearl  Hawlinshed  seemed 
to  be  holding  a  consultation.  Dory  imagined 
that  Pearl  was  trying  to  persuade  the  captain  to 
venture  in  among  the  rocks.  If  so,  he  was  not 
successful ;  for  the  Missisquoi  did  not  come  any 
nearer  to  the  ledge. 

"  What  is  she  going  to  do  next,  Dory  ?  "  asked 
Corny  Minkfield,  while  the  boys  were  waiting  for 
the  next  move  of  the  steamer. 

"That's  more  than  I  know,"  replied  Dory, 
chuckling  at  the  success  of  his  plan.  "  I  think 


162  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

Captain  Vesey  had  enough  of  getting  aground 
yesterday,  and  he  don't  want  to  spend  the  day 
laid  up  on  one  of  these  ledges.  I  believe  the 
steamer  would  go  over  Champion  Rock  all  right ; 
but  her  captain  is  shy,  and  I  don't  think  he  will 
come  any  nearer  than  he  is  now." 

Dory  had  headed  the  Goldwing  to  the  east. 
As  he  had  predicted,  the  wind  was  increasing, 
and  the  schooner  carried  quite  a  bone  in  her 
teeth.  It  looked  a  little  like  a  game  of  chess, 
•where  each  player  has  to  wait  a  long  time  for  the 
other  to  make  his  move.  The  captain  and  his 
passenger  appeared  to  be  still  engaged  in  the  dis- 
cussion in  the  bow  of  the  boat.  Dory  thought  he 
could  quicken  their  movements ;  and,  hauling  in 
his  sheets,  he  stood  to  the  south. 

"  There  she  goes ! "  exclaimed  Thad,  as  the 
steamer  started  her  propeller  again. 

"  I  think  we  can  keep  her  moving,"  replied 
Dory.  "  She  will  go  to  the  southward  as  fast  as 
we  do,  to  head  us  off.  We  can  play  this  game 
as  long  as  she  can." 

"But  who  wants  to  stay  here  all  day  fooling 
with  that  steamer?"  said  Corny. 

"  I  don't  know  that  we  have  any  thing  better 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  163 

to  do,"  added  Dick  Short.  "  We  have  got  enough 
to  eat  to  last  us  all  day." 

"I  think  we  shall  have  some  variety  in  this 
thing.  Captain  Vesey  has  to  deliver  the  Missis- 
quoi  to  her  new  owner  to-night,  and  he  can't  stay 
here  much  after  noon,"  replied  Dory. 

In  fifteen  minutes  the  steamer  was  well  to  the 
southward  of  Champion  Rock,  and  began  to  turn 
to  the  eastward. 

"  She  is  coming  around  to  pick  us  up  on  this 
side  of  the  rocks,"  said  Thad. 

"That's  all  right,  but  she  won't  pick  us  up," 
answered  Dory.  "I  am  afraid  it  will  get  very 
monotonous  before  she  overhauls  us  by  her  pres- 
ent tactics." 

Dory  put  the  boat  about,  and  stood  to  the 
north.  He  continued  on  this  tack  until  the 
Missisquoi  was  directly  south  of  Stave  Island, 
and  of  both  ledges,  which  were  in  a  line  with  the 
island.  She  had  gone  half  a  mile  farther  to  the 
southward  than  was  necessary  to  avoid  Champion 
Rock;  but  her  pilots  were  not  well  posted,  and 
they  seemed  to  be  determined  to  keep  on  the  safe 
side. 

The  skipper  waited  until  the  steamer  was  half 


164  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

a  mile  to  the  eastward  of  the  ledges,  and  then  he 
proceeded  to  beat  across  the  dangerous  ground. 
He  took  a  southerly  tack  first,  so  as  to  bother  the 
pilot  of  the  steamer  as  to  his  intentions.  The 
Missisquoi  kept  on  her  course,  and  Pearl  was 
evidently  bothered. 

The  pursuer  had  not  thought  there  could  be 
any  difficulty  in  capturing  the  owner  of  the  Gold- 
wing  when  he  had  a  steamer  to  use  in  chasing 
her.  He  had  found  out  his  mistake.  The  cap- 
tain and  engineer  had  not  earned  their  five  dollars 
apiece  yet,  for  they  had  not  put  the  passenger  on 
board  of  the  schooner.  Doubtless  they  were 
continuing  the  chase  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining 
their  money,  for  the  boys  were  satisfied  that 
Captain  Vesey  had  no  other  interest  in  the  pur- 
suit. 

As  the  Missisquoi  put  her  helm  to  starboard, 
in  order  to  run  to  the  north,  Dory  tacked  the 
schooner,  and  stood  off  to  the  north-east.  This 
course  would  carry  him  directly  over  Stave  Island 
Ledge.  The  effect  of  this  move  was  soon  appar- 
ent, for  the  steamer  stopped  her  screw  again. 
Her  pilots  could  see  that  it  was  useless  to  go  any 
farther  on  her  present  course.  By  the  time  she 


THE  GOLD  WING  CLUB.          165 

got  a  mile  farther,  the  Goldwing  would  be  on  the 
other  side  of  the  ledges.  Another  discussion 
seemed  to  be  in  progress  between  the  captain  and 
the  passenger.  But  it  was  not  continued  long; 
for  the  Missisquoi  put  about,  and  stood  to  the 
westward. 

"  She  has  got  enough  of  that,"  said  Thad.  "  I 
don't  believe  she  will  keep  it  up  much  longer." 

"It  is  cool  and  comfortable  here,  and  I  think 
we  can  stand  this  sort  of  thing  as  long  as  she 
can,"  added  Dory. 

"  Of  course  we  can ;  but  the  game  is  ended,  and 
the  Missisquoi  is  going  back  to  Plattsburgh,"  sug- 
gested Corny. 

"The  game  is  not  ended  yet,"  replied  Dory: 
"  in  fact,  it  has  but  just  begun." 

"  What's  the  reason  it  isn't  ended  ?  "  demanded 
Corny,  who  did  not  like  to  have  his  conclusions 
disputed.  "What  is  the  steamer  going  off  in 
that  direction  for,  if  there  is  to  be  any  more 
fun?" 

"Is  that  the  way  to  Plattsburgh,  Corny?" 
asked  Dory  quietly. 

"She  has  gone  off  and  left  us,  whether  she  is 
bound  to  Plattsburgh  or  not.  If  she  means  to 


166  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

catch  us,  why  don't  she  stick  to  it?"  continued 
Corny. 

"She  is  sticking  to  it.  The  way  to  catch  a 
pigeon  is  to  put  salt  on  his  tail,  you  know,"  an- 
swered Dory,  laughing.  "She  is  beginning  to 
play  her  game  now.  If  she  had  gone  to  the 
north-west,  instead  of  to  the  west,  I  might  believe 
she  had  given  it  up;  and  I  should  be  ready  to 
head  the  Goldwing  for  Burlington  as  soon  as  I 
saw  her  to  the  eastward  of  Valcour's  Island." 

"  What  do  you  think  she  means  to  do,  Dory  ?  " 
asked  Thad. 

"I  am  very  clear  what  she  means  to  do.  I 
wouldn't  give  anybody  two  cents  to  write  it  down 
for  me,"  replied  the  skipper  confidently.  "She 
has  gone  to  the  west  so  that  she  can  coax  us  out 
from  these  ledges.  If  she  could  get  us  away 
from  these  dangers,  where  she  could  chase  us,  she 
would  soon  be  up  with  us." 

"  There  are  plenty  of  rocks  and  shoals  south  of 
us,"  suggested  Thad. 

"  But  there  are  buoys  on  them,  and  a  hundred 
feet  of  water  between  them.  Very  likely  Captain 
Vesey  knows  his  way  among  them.  We  can  very 
soon  see  whether  she  has  given  up  the  chase  or 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  167 

not,"  said  Dory,  as  he  put  the  boat  about,  and 
headed  her  to  the  south. 

"  Are  you  going  to  run  for  Burlington,  Dory  ?  " 
asked  Corny. 

"  We  are  headed  in  that  direction  now,"  replied 
the  skipper. 

"  B  it  the  steamer  does  not  change  her  course^' 
continued  Corny. 

"And  she  won't  change  her  course  until  we 
have  gone  a  couple  of  miles  farther  to  the  south- 
ward. They  are  getting  smart  on  board  of  the 
Missisquoi,"  added  Dory,  like  one  who  is  driving 
a  winning  horse. 

All  hands  watched  the  steamer  very  closely, 
and  Corny  would  have  given  something  handsome 
to  have  it  made  out  that  Dory  was  mistaken  in 
his  calculations.  He  was  loyal  to  the  skipper, 
but  he  did  not  like  to  have  statements  of  the 
latter  prove  true  every  time.  The  steamer  did 
not  change  her  course,  but  she  did  not  seem  to 
get  ahead  very  fast. 

In  half  an  hour  the  Goldwing  was  off  Col- 
chester Reef  Light.  The  Missisquoi  was  still 
headed  to  the  west ;  and  Corny  was  beginning  to 
feel  triumphant,  though  he  was  not  confident 


108  ALL   ADRIFT  ;    OR, 

enough  to  say  much.  The  steamer  was  three 
miles  distant ;  but  Dory  was  satisfied  by  this  time 
that  she  had  stopped  her  propeller,-  and  was  only 
waiting  for  the  schooner  to  get  a  little  farther  to 
the  southward,  where  she  could  not  dodge  in 
among  the  dangerous  rocks. 

"  She  is  coming  about !  "  shouted  Thad. 

"It  is  about  time  for  her  to  do  something," 
replied  Dory.  "  But  she  is  not  coming  down  this 
way." 

"  How  do  you  know  she  isn't,  Dory  Dorn- 
wood  ? "  demanded  Corny,  who  was  rather  indig- 
nant when  the  skipper  made  another  prediction. 

"I  think  I  understand  her  little  game,"  an- 
swered Dory  mildly;  for  he  felt  that  he  could 
afford  to  disregard  the  sharp  tones  of  Corny. 

"Where  is  she  going?"  asked  Corny,  wishing 
to  make  the  skipper  commit  himself  fully. 

"She  is  going  to  the  eastward,"  replied  Dory 
without  any  hesitation ;  for  it  was  all  a  plain  case 
to  him. 

"  How  do  you  know  she  is,.  Dory  ?  "  demanded 
Corny.  "She  is  still  turning;  and  she  isn't 
headed  any  way  yet." 

"I  think  it  is  easy  enough  to  see  what  she  is 


THE  GOLD  WING  CLUB.          169 

about,  Corny.  Can't  you  see  it  with  your  eyes 
shut?" 

"  No :  I'm  sure  I  can't ;  and  I  don't  believe  you 
can,  Dory  Dornwood,"  added  Corny. 

"  She  is  now  just  as  far  west  of  Champion  Rock 
as  we  are  south  of  it.  She  is  going  to  the  east- 
ward, so  as  to  cut  us  off  if  we  try  to  reach  the 
ledges  again.  I  think  she  has  got  her  course  now." 

It  was  plain  enough  to  all  the  members  of  the 
Goldwing  Club,  that,  as  they  could  see  the  whole 
of  the  starboard  side  of  the  Missisquoi,  she  was 
headed  to  the  eastward.  Corny  gave  it  up  when 
he  saw  that  he  could  hold  out  no  longer.  From 
the  smoke  that  poured  out  of  the  smoke-stack  of 
the  little  steamer,  it  was  plain  that  she  was 
crowded  to  her  best  speed. 

"She  is  in  a  hurry  now,"  said  the  skipper, 
laughing. 

"She  is  going  to  do  a  big  thing  now,"  added 
Thad.  "  She  is  going  to  catch  us,  sure." 

"But  I  think  we  had  better  be  doing  some- 
thing," continued  the  skipper,  as  he  put  the  Gold- 
wing  before  the  wind. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  now,  Dory  ?  "  asked 
Corny. 


170  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

"  That  will  depend  upon  circumstances,"  re- 
plied Dory,  who  suddenly  appeared  to  be  disposed 
to  keep  his  own  counsel. 

As  soon  as  the  schooner  was  up  with  the  light- 
house, the  skipper  hauled  in  his  sheets  again,  and 
headed  the  Goldwing  to  the  north-east.  This 
course  seemed  to  bother  the  steamer,  for  it  made 
it  evident  that  the  boat  did  not  intend  to  go  near 
Champion  Rock. 

"  She's  after  you  again,"  said  Corny  a  few 
minutes  later.  "  She  has  altered  her  course,  and 
is  coming  down  this  way  to  head  you  off." 

"  All  right !     Let  her  come,"  replied  Dory. 

"But  we  are  getting  pretty  close  together," 
added  Thad.  "  She  is  going  to  catch  us  this  time. 
At  least,  I  am  afraid  she  is." 

"Don't  worry  about  it,  Thad.  She  isn't  going 
to  catch  us  on  this  tack." 

The  Missisquoi  was  coming  in  between  Hog's 
Back  Island  and  the  reef  of  the  same  name.  She 
kept  the  red  buoy  on  her  starboard,  and  the  black 
on  her  port  hand.  She  was  hardly  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  Goldwing,  and  run- 
ning for  a  point  ahead  of  her.  It  began  to  be 
very  exciting  for  the  boys,  for  they  believed 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  171 

she  would  overtake  the  schooner  in  a  few  minutes 
more. 

But  the  Goldwing  came  out  just  a  little  ahead ; 
and  the  steamer  was  astern  of  the  boat,  but  not 
more  than  a  hundred  yards.  She  gained  on  her 
every  minute,  until  suddenly  the  Missisquoi 
stopped. 


172  ALL  ADRIFT;   OR, 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

A   GRAVE  CHARGE   AGAINST  THE   SKIPPER. 

r  I  iHE  Missisquoi  was  aground.  This  result 
was  exactly  what  the  skipper  of  the  Gold- 
wing  intended  and  expected,  if  the  pilots  of  the 
steamer  followed  the  schooner.  Colchester  Light 
is  about  west  of  a  point  having  the  same  name. 
Extending  north  from  Colchester  Point  is  a  shoal, 
on  which,  at  the  present  low  stage  of  the  water, 
there  was  a  depth  of  from  two  to  eight  feet. 
It  was  two  miles  and  a  half  long  from  its  north- 
ern extremity  to  the  point. 

Dory  struck  the  shoal  not  more  than  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  north  of  Law  Island,  where  the  water 
was  only  about  four  feet  deep.  The  Goldwing 
went  over  it  without  any  difficulty;  but  there 
was  not  water  enough  for  the  steamer.  Ordinarily 
a  small  steamer  could  have  crossed  any  part  of 
the  shoal,  but  the  lake  had  not  been  so  low  be- 
fore for  years. 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  173 

The  skipper  of  the  schooner  had  calculated 
upon  using  this  shoal  in  the  same  manner  that  he 
had  used  Champion  Rock  and  Stave  Island  Ledge. 
If  he  had  not  depended  upon  this  shallow  water, 
he  would  not  have  left  the  ledges.  But  he  did 
not  expect  that  Captain  Vesey  would  attempt  to 
follow  him  where  there  was  not  more  than  four 
feet  of  water.  It  was  evident  enough  that  neither 
the  captain  nor  Pearl  was  a  competent  pilot. 

"Here  we  are,"  said  Dory  quietly,  as  he  put 
the  helm  down,  and  came  up  into  the  wind. 

"What's  the  matter  now?"  asked  Corny. 

"Nothing  the  matter;  but  the  Missisquoi  has 
concluded  not  to  come  any  farther  in  this  direc- 
tion just  now,"  replied  Dory,  as  he  headed  the 
schooner  to  the  north-west. 

"  She  has  stopped ! "  exclaimed  Thad. 

"That  is  just  what  she  has  done,"  added  the 
skipper. 

"What  has  she  stopped  there  for?"  asked 
Corny. 

"  She  couldn't  very  well  help  it,  for  she  is  hug- 
ging the  bottom." 

"  Hugging  the  bottom  !  What  do  you  mean  by 
that?"  demanded  Corny. 


174  ALL  ADRIFT;  OK, 

"In  plain  English,  she  is  aground."  And  the 
skipper  proceeded  to  explain  the  situation  to  his 
companions. 

"  Then,  you  knew  what  you  were  about  all  the 
time,  Dory,"  said  Thad,  with  something  of  admira- 
tion in  his  tones  and  manner. 

"  I  thought  I  did  all  the  tune ;  but  I  did  not 
expect  the  Missisquoi  would  try  to  go  over  a 
place  where  the  bottom  is  so  near  the  top  as  it  is 
on  this  shoal,"  answered  Dory.  "  There  is  nearly 
seven  miles  of  deep  water  to  the  eastward  of  this 
shoal  to  the  head  of  Mallett's  Bay.  The  lake  is 
thirteen  miles  wide  on  just  this  line." 

"  Were  you  going  up  Mallett's  Bay  ?  " 

"  Not  at  all.  I  expected  to  run  back  and  forth 
over  this  shoal  until  the  Missisquoi  had  enough 
of  it,  and  then  I  was  going  to  Burlington." 

"  Will  the  steamer  get  off  the  bottom  ?  " 

"She  was  running  at  her  best  speed  when  she 
struck  the  bottom ;  and  I  don't  believe  she  will 
get  off  in  a  hurry,"  replied  Dory. 

"All  we  have  to  do  is  to  go  to  Burlington, 
then,"  added  Corny. 

"  We  won't  be  in  a  hurry  about  it,"  said  Dory. 
"  I  want  to  see  if  she  can  get  off.  They  are  back- 


THE   GOLDWING  CLUB.  175 

ing  her  now,  and  there  is  Captain  Vesey  at  work 
with  a  pole.  The  steamer  seems  to  stick  hard. 
Her  bow  is  about  a  foot  out  of  water,  but  I  think 
she  is  afloat  at  the  stern.  They  may  work  her  off 
if  they  manage  it  well." 

"  That  other  chap  has  gone  to  work  with  a  pole 
too,"  said  Dick  Short. 

"I  hope  they  will  have  a  good  tune,"  added 
Dory,  as  he  put  the  schooner  about,  and  headed 
her  across  the  bow  of  the  Missisquoi. 

The  skipper  wished  to  obtain  a  better  view  of 
the  position  of  the  steamer,  to  enable  him  to 
decide  whether  it  was  safe  for  him  to  proceed  to 
Burlington.  With  the  wind  on  the  quarter,  he 
ran  within  ten  yards  of  the  stem  of  the  Missis- 
quoi.  As  he  approached  her,  he  saw  that  her 
water-line  was  lifted  at  least  a  foot  above  the 
surface  of  the  lake,  indicating  that  she  was  firmly 
fixed  on  the  hard  bottom. 

"  Hallo  there,  Dory  Dornwood ! "  shouted  Pearl 
Hawlinshed  when  the  Goldwing  came  within  hail 
of  the  steamer.  "  Come  alongside  !  I  want  to  see 
you." 

"  What  do  you  want  of  me  ? "  asked  the  skip- 
per. 


176  ALL   ADRIFT  ;    OR, 

"  I  want  to  see  you  about  that  money,"  added 
Pearl. 

"What  money?" 

"You  know  what  money  as  well  as  I  do!" 
roared  Pearl  with  a  string  of  oaths.  "  The  money 
you  stole  at  the  hotel ! " 

"The  money  Dory  stole!"  ejaculated  Corny 
Minkfield,  with  a  look  of  horror  on  his  face. 

"  What  hotel  ?  I  didn't  steal  any  money  at  any 
hotel,"  returned  Dory,  startled  at  the  charge. 

"  Yes,  you  did !  It's  no  use  to  deny  it.  The 
landlord  sent  me  off  after  you  ;  and  you'll  have  to 
pay  for  it,  for  the  wild-goose  chase  you  have  led 
me  on,"  cried  Pearl,  who  had  evidently  lost  his 
patience  and  his  temper. 

"I  didn't  know  any  money  had  been  stolen 
from  a  hotel ;  and  I  didn't  steal  it,"  cried  Dory,  as 
the  Goldwing  passed  out  of  easy  talking  distance 
from  the  steamer. 

"You  stole  the  money  to  buy  that  boat,  and  it's 
no  sale ! "  yelled  Pearl. 

"  Stole  the  money  to  buy  the  boat ! "  exclaimed 
Corny,  looking  at  his  fellow-members  of  the  Gold- 
wing  Club. 

"  I  don't  believe  it ! "  ejaculated  Thad  Glover- 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  177 

ing.  "Dory  isn't  that  kind  of  a  fellow.  He 
wouldn't  do  such  a  thing." 

Nat  Long  and  Dick  Short  said  nothing.  They 
seemed  to  be  in  doubt.  All  of  them  wondered 
where  Dory  could  have  got  the  money  to  pay  for 
the  Goldwing,  and  the  charge  of  Pearl  Hawlinshed 
appeared  to  explain  the  whole  matter.  Certainly 
the  astonishing  statement  of  Pearl  made  it  look 
very  bad  for  the  skipper  of  the  Goldwing.  When 
they  asked  where  he  got  the  forty-two  dollars  to 
pay  for  the  boat,  Dory  had  refused  to  explain, 
and  had  insisted  that  no  more  questions  should  be 
asked  about  the  subject. 

Nat  had  winked  at  Corny  to  intimate  that  this 
disposition  of  the  matter  was  not  satisfactory ;  but, 
as  they  were  expecting  a  fine  sail  in  the  schooner, 
they  had  been  politic  enough  to  keep  silence. 
Now  they  looked 'from  one  to  another,  for  they 
did  not  like  to  say  just  what  they  thought. 

Dory  was  silent  also.  His  heart  was  swelling 
with  emotion.  He  was  accused  of  stealing,  and 
he  could  not  help  seeing  that  he  was  in  a  very 
uncomfortable  situation.  Pearl's  father  had  given 
him  the  money,  and  he  had  promised  not  to  say 
a  word  about  it.  There  seemed  to  be  some  terri- 


178  ALL  ADRIFT  ;    OB, 

ble  secret  between  Pearl  and  his  father.  The  lat- 
ter had  given  Dory  one  hundred  and  five  dollars 
for  the  service  he  had  rendered  him  in  the  woods, 
and  wished  him  not  to  tell  where  he  got  the 
money  lest  it  should  lead  to  the  exposure  of  the 
secret. 

Pearl  evidently  had  something  against  him.  It 
might  be  nothing  more  than  the  fact  that  he  had 
outbid  him  at  the  sale  of  the  boat.  But  the  son 
plainly  suspected  that  Dory  had  some  relations 
with  his  father,  for  he  had  intimated  as  much  as 
this. 

The  skipper  of  the  Gold  wing  was  considering 
what  he  should  do.  He  was  ready  to  meet  the 
charge  against  him,  though  he  could  not  explain 
where  he  got  the  money  to  pay  for  the  boat. 
Pearl  was  after  him  for  stealing  the  money  at  a 
hotel,  —  what  hotel  he  did  not  know.  Was  Pearl 
a  constable  or  a  police-officer  ? 

If  his  pursuer  was  an  officer  of  the  law,  he  was 
ready  to  give  himself  up.  He  was  anxious  to 
know  in  what  manner  he  was  connected  with  the 
theft.  But  it  might  be  all  a  trick  on  the  part  of 
Pearl  to  get  the  boat  away  from  him.  He  did 
not  mean  to  put  his  head  into  any  trap.  While 


THE  GOLDWINQ  CLUB.  179 

he  was  considering  the  situation,  Corny  could  hold 
in  no  longer. 

"I  want  to  know  about  this  business,"  said 
Corny,  after  he  and  his  companions  had  been 
looking  at  each  other  in  silence  for  full  five  min- 
utes. 

"  What  do  you  want  to  know,  Corny  ?  "  asked 
Dory. 

"  I  want  to  know  where  you  got  the  money  to 
buy  this  boat,"  replied  Corny,  rather  more  warmly 
than  the  occasion  seemed  to  require. 

"I  shall  not  tell  you,"  answered  Dory  firmly, 
but  very  quietly. 

"  You  won't  ?  " 

"No,  I  won't,"  repeated  Dory.  "That  is  my 
secret.  I  have  to  keep  it,  not  on  my  own  account, 
but  for  the  sake  of  a  person  who  was  very  kind  to 
me,  and  gave  me  a  meal  when  I  was  hungry. 
That  is  all  I  can  say  about  the  case.  I  didn't 
steal  a  dollar  or  a  cent,  and  I  am  willing  to  face 
any  man  that  says  I  did." 

"  That  fellow  in  the  steamer  says  you  did ;  and 
we  have  been  running  away  from  him  since  yes- 
terday morning,"  replied  Corny. 

"  That  man,  whose  name  is  Pearl  Hawlinshed, 


180  ALL   ADKLFT;    OB, 

has  something  against  me ;  and  I  don't  care 
about  putting  myself  into  his  hands,"  answered 
Dory. 

"I  suppose  you  don't,"  added  Corny  with  a 
sneer.  "  I  don't  like  this  thing  a  bit.  We  have 
been  with  you  since  yesterday  morning,  and  they 
say  the  receiver  is  as  bad  as  the  thief." 

"  Do  you  believe  I  am  a  thief,  Corny  ? "  said 
Dory,  looking  his  accuser  squarely  in  the  eye. 

"  I  don't  see  how  I  can  believe  any  thing  else. 
I  don't  want  to  believe  such  a  thing  of  you,  Dory. 
Fellows  like  you  and  me  don't  have  forty-two 
dollars  in  every  pocket  of  their  trousers ;  and  you 
won't  tell  us  where  you  got  the  money,"  answered 
Corny  a  little  more  moderately. 

"  You  talk  and  act  just  as  though  you  did  want 
to  prove  that  I  stole  the  money  I  paid  for  the 
boat,"  added  Dory.  "  All  I  ask  of  the  fellows  is 
to  believe  that  I  am  innocent  until  I  am  proved 
guilty." 

"  That's  the  talk !  that's  fair !  I  don't  believe 
Dory  did  it ! "  exclaimed  Thad. 

"  Let  him  tell  where  he  got  the  money,  then," 
replied  Corny. 

"  That's  his  business,  if  he  don't  choose  to  tell," 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  181 

argued  Thad.  "It  don't  prove  that  Dory  is  a 
thief  because  that  fellow  says  so.  We  don't 
know  any  thing  about  that  fellow." 

"  Do  you  believe  that  he  would  chase  us  for  two 
days  in  a  steamer  if  there  wasn't  something  serious 
the  matter  ?  "  asked  Corny. 

"  Yes,  if  he  wanted  to  get  this  boat,"  replied 
Thad. 

"  Well,  I  have  had  enough  of  this  thing.  Here 
we  are  cruising  all  over  the  lake  with  a  thief,  run- 
ning away,  and  dodging  a  steamer  sent  after  him ; 
and  we  are  getting  into  it  as  deep  as  he  is,"  blus- 
tered Corny. 

"  Shut  up,  Corn  Winkfield,  or  I'll  smash  your 
head ! "  exclaimed  Thad,  leaping  to  his  feet,  and 
moving  towards  the  sceptic. 

"  None  of  that,  Thad ! "  interposed  Dory,  putting 
his  arm  between  the  two  belligerent  members.  "  I 
don't  want  any  fight  over  it." 

The  skipper  put  the  helm  up,  and  gybed  the 
boat. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  now  ? "  demanded 
Corny  when  Thad  had  resumed  his  seat.  "  I  am 
not  going  to  be  carried  all  over  the  lake  with  one 
who  is  running  away  from  the  officers." 


182  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

Thad  sprang  to  his  feet  again,  but  Dory  quieted 
him. 

"I  am  going  back  to  Plattsburgh  to  face  the 
music,"  said  Dory. 

Corny  looked  more  disgusted  than  ever. 


THE  GOLD  WING  CLUB.          183 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

DOKY    DORyWOOD    DECIDES     TO    "  PACE     THE 
MUSIC." 

"  T'M  not  going  back  to  Plattsburgh!"  exclaimed 

-*•  Corny  Minkfield.  "  My  mother  will  want  to 
know  what  has  become  of  me  by  this  time." 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do,  Corny  ?  "  asked 
Dory  in  the  gentlest  of  tones. 

"I  am  going  back  to  Burlington,"  answered 
Corny. 

"All  right!  I  don't  object,"  added  Dory,  as  he 
headed  the  boat  for  Plattsburgh. 

Thad  laughed,  and  Nat  and  Dick  smiled.  Corny 
talked  and  acted  as  though  he  "  owned  things ; " 
and  the  others  were  rather  pleased  to  see  him 
taken  down  a  peg  when  he  was  in  this  mood. 

"  You  promised  to  take  us  back  to  Burlington, 
Dory ;  and  now  you  are  going  to  drag  us  back  to 
Plattsburgh,"  growled  Corny. 

"  But  you  don't  want  to  sail  all  over  the  lake 


184  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

with  a  thief.  If  I  go  to  Burlington  now,  I  shall 
be  running  away  from  the  officers.  I  must  go  to 
Plattsburgh,  and  face  the  music." 

"  Hurrah  for  Dory !  "  shouted  Thad.  '  Is  that 
the  way  a  thief  does  it  ?  " 

"  Hurrah  for  Dory !  "  added  Dick  Short.  "  That 
isn't  the  way  a  thief  does  it." 

"But  I  want  to  go  home.  I  don't  want  my 
mother  to  worry  about  me,"  added  Corny. 

"  You  called  me  a  thief  just  now,  and  I  can't 
run  away  from  the  place  where  they  accuse  me. 
I  will  put  you  ashore  at  the  lighthouse,  or  on 
Colchester  Point." 

"You  might  as  well  put  me  ashore  on  Stave 
Island.  I  want  to  go  back  to  Burlington." 

"We  are  bound  to  Plattsburgh  now;  and  I 
shall  not  stop  to  rest  until  I  have  seen  the  men 
that  charge  me  with  stealing  that  money,"  replied 
Dory  very  decidedly. 

"  The  man  that  charges  you  is  in  that  steamer, 
and  you  run  away  from  him,"  retorted  Corny. 

"  The  Missisquoi  is  hard  and  fast  aground.  If 
I  give  myself  up  to  him,  I  shall  only  have  to  stay 
on  board  of  her  all  day ;  for  he  may  not  get  off. 
I  may  be  in  Plattsburgh  before  he  is." 


THE  GOLD  WING   CLTJB.  185 

Corny  grumbled  a  while  longer,  but  the  skipper 
took  no  further  notice  of  him.  The  course  of  the 
Goldwing  carried  her  within  a  short  distance  of 
the  stern  of  the  Missisquoi.  Captain  Vesey  and 
Pearl  had  tugged  at  the  poles  until  they  saw  that 
it  was  useless  to  attempt  to  get  the  steamer  off 
in  that  way. 

Pearl  was  plainly  disgusted  with  the  situation. 
The  bow  of  the  boat  was  as  far  out  of  water  as 
when  the  schooner  passed  her  before,  and  the 
efforts  with  the  poles  had  not  started  her  a  hair. 
When  the  enterprising  extra  pilot  of  the  steamer 
saw  the  Goldwing  coming,  he  hastened  to  the  stern. 

"Come  alongside,  Dory  Dornwood!  I  will 
make  it  as  easy  as  I  can  for  you  when  we  get  to 
Plattsburgh.  Take  me  on  board,"  shouted  Pearl. 

"  I  am  going  to  Plattsburgh  to  face  the  music," 
replied  Dory. 

"  Take  me  with  you ! "  called  Pearl. 

"  I  don't  want  you,"  answered  Dory. 

"  I  can  get  you  off,  and  make  it  all  right  with 
you." 

"No,  I  thank  you,"  added  Dory;  and  he  de- 
clined to  take  any  further  notice  of  his  perse- 
cutor. 


186  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

For  the  present  the  excitement  was  ended.  It 
was  about  seven  in  the  morning,  as  Dory  judged 
by  the  height  of  the  sun.  Thad  got  out  the  pro- 
visions ;  and,  though  there  was  not  much  variety 
to  the  repast,  the  boys  ate  heartily.  After  the 
meal  some  of  them  went  to  sleep.  Before  ten 
o'clock  the  Goldwing  was  alongside  the  wharf, 
in  the  position  where  Dory  had  first  seen  her. 

The  skipper  lowered  the  sails  with  the  help  of 
the  rest  of  the  club,  though  Corny  was  still  too 
much  disgruntled  to  do  any  thing.  Every  thing 
was  put  in  order  on  board,  and  Dory  locked  the 
cabin.  Before  he  had  finished,  Corny  went  off 
alone.  Just  as  the  party  were  going  to  leave  the 
wharf,  a  couple  of  men  came  down.  They  walked 
directly  to  the  boat,  as  though  they  had  seen  her 
coming  up  the  bay,  and  had  business  with  her. 

"  Is  this  the  boat  that  went  off  from  here  yes- 
terday morning  ?  "  asked  one  of  the  men. 

"  Yes,  sir :  this  is  the  boat,"  replied  Dory,  hop- 
ing that  the  men's  business  related  to  the  charge 
against  him. 

"  Are  you  the  boy  that  bought  her  ?  "  continued 
the  man  who  did  the  talking. 

"  Yes,  sir :  I  am  the  one  that  bought  her  and 


THE  GOLD  WING   CLUB.  187 

paid  for  her,"  answered  Dory.     "  Do  you  know 
of  anybody  in  this  town  that  wants  to  see  me  ?  " 

"I  can't  say  I  do,"  said  the  man,  looking  at  the 
other  one,  and  laughing. 

"There  was  a  little  steamer  here  in  the  fore- 
noon." 

"  That  was  the  Missisquoi." 

"  A  man  went  off  in  her  to  look  up  this  boat. 
Have  you  seen  any  thing  of  the  steamer  ?  "  asked 
the  man. 

"  Yes,  sir :  she  is  hard  and  fast  aground  on  the 
Colchester  shoal,  near  Law  Island.  The  man 
that  went  in  her  to  look  up  this  boat  was  Pearl 
Hawlinshed.  I  don't  believe  in  him,  and  I  kept 
out  of  the  way  of  him  and  his  steamer." 

"  How  could  you  keep  out  of  the  way  of  a 
steamer  in  a  sailboat?" 

"I  managed  it.  But  I  didn't  know  till  he 
hailed  me  from  the  steamer  that  I  was  charged 
with  stealing  some  money  from  one  of  the  hotels. 
Can  you  tell  me  any  thing  about  the  matter, 
sir?" 

r  "  I  think  we  can  tell  you  all  about  it,"  replied 
the  speaker.  "  This  is  Mr.  Moody,  the  man  that 
lost  the  money." 


188  ALL  ADRIFT;    OR, 

"And  this  is  Mr.  Peppers,  the  detective,  who 
is  looking  up  the  case,"  added  Mr.  Moody. 

"  As  soon  as  I  heard  about  it,  I  came  back  to 
face  the  music,"  said  Dory. 

"  Your  name  is  Dory  Dornwood,  I  learn,"  said 
Mr.  Peppers. 

"Theodore  Dornwood  is  my  name,  but  I  am 
called  '  Dory.' " 

"  Just  now  we  are  rather  more  anxious  to  find 
the  other  man  than  we  are  to  get  hold  of  you," 
continued  Peppers.  "I  don't  believe  there  will 
be  much  music  for  you  to  face,  Dory." 

"  But  Mr.  Hawlinshed  said  I  was  wanted  here, 
and  I  have  come.  Is  he  an  officer?"  asked 
Dory. 

"  He  is  no  officer,  and  he  had  no  right  to  arrest 
you." 

"Hallo,  fellows!"  shouted  Corny  Minkfield, 
coming  down  the  wharf:  "there  is  a  steamer 
over  here  which  is  going  to  Burlington,  and  we 
can  go  in  her." 

"I  should  rather  go  in  the  Goldwing,"  said 
Thad,  looking  at  his  companions. 

"  You  must  be  in  a  hurry  about  it,  for  she  will 
be  off  in  a  few  minutes,"  added  Corny.  "We 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  189 

won't  get  home  to-day  if  we  don't  take  this 
chance." 

"When  are  you  going,  Dory?"  asked  Nat 
Long. 

"  I  don't  know  when  I  shall  go.  If  you  have  a 
chance  to  go,  you  had  better  use  it,"  replied  Dory. 

After  a  little  discussion,  the  four  members  of 
the  Goldwing  Club  decided  to  improve  the  oppor- 
tunity to  get  home ;  for  Dory  could  not  say  that 
he  should  go  to  Burlington  that  day.  All  of 
them  but  Corny  took  occasion  to  say  that  they 
believed  Dory  was  all  right,  so  far  as  the  money 
was  concerned;  for  the  detective  did  not  seem 
inclined  to  say  any  thing  about  the  matter  beyond 
the  rather  encouraging  statement  he  had  already 
made.  A  few  minutes  later  the  skipper  saw  a 
small  steamer  leave  another  part  of  the  town,  and 
he  was  again  alone  so  far  as  friends  were  con- 
cerned. 

"  I  think  we  had  better  go  up  to  the  Witherill 
House,  and  look  the  case  over,"  said  Peppers,  after 
the  boys  had  gone. 

-  "  Why  do  you  say  there  will  not  be  much  music 
for  me  to  face,  Mr.  Peppers?"  asked  Dory,  as 
they  walked  up  the  wharf.  "I  am  accused  of 


190  ALL  ADRIFT  ;    OB, 

stealing  the  money,  and  I  don't  understand  the 
matter." 

"I  am  sorry  Hawlinshed  did  not  come  back 
with  you,"  replied  the  detective,  without  answer- 
ing the  question.  "In  fact,  we  want  him  more 
than  we  want  you." 

"Do  you  want  him  as  evidence  against  me?" 
inquired  Dory  very  anxiously. 

"  We  are  looking  into  the  case,  and  finding  out 
all  we  can.  We  have  some  ideas,  but  we  don't 
say  much  about  them,"  said  the  detective. 

Dory  could  not  get  any  thing  more  out  of  the 
officer.  They  soon  reached  the  hotel,  where  he 
was  introduced  to  Mr.  Velsey,  the  landlord,  who 
was  informed  that  the  skipper  of  the  Goldwing 
had  come  to  face  the  music,  whereat  he  looked 
very  good-natured,  and  conducted  the  party  to  a 
private  parlor. 

The  landlord  wanted  to  know  where  Dory  had 
been  since  he  left  the  hotel  the  morning  before ; 
and  he  told  the  story  in  full  of  his  trip  on  the 
lake,  and  the  pursuit  of  the  Missisquoi.  The 
hotel-keeper  and  the  detective  were  very  much 
amused  at  the  manner  in  which  he  had  dodged 
the  steamer,  and  especially  when  the  hero  stated 


THE   GOLDWING   CLUB.  191 

that  he  had  left  his  pursuers  aground  on  Colches- 
ter Shoal. 

"  But,  if  I  am  charged  with  stealing  this  money, 
I  want  to  know  about  it,"  said  Dory  when  he  had 
finished  his  narrative.  "  Pearl  Hawlinshed  said 
I  was  wanted  here ;  and  here  I  am." 

"You  were  about  the  hotel  night  before  last, 
were  you  not?"  asked  Peppers. 

"I  was.  I  was  here  to  see  a  gentleman  who 
had  a  room  on  the  next  floor.  I  left  between  ten 
and  eleven,"  replied  Dory  promptly. 

"I  don't  think  it  is  any  use  to  go  into  that 
matter,  Peppers,"  interposed  Mr.  Velsey,  when 
he  saw  that  the  detective  was  disposed  to  make 
as  much  parade  over  the  case  as  possible.  "  Come 
to  the  point  at  once." 

"  Have  you  any  money,  Dory  ?  "  asked  the  offi- 
cer, evidently  coming  to  the  point  as  directed. 

"  I  have :  I  have  sixty  dollars  and  some  change," 
answered  Dory,  without  any  hesitation,  as  he  put 
his  hand  upon  his  wallet  in  his  pocket. 

"  Have  you  any  five-dollar  bills  ? "  continued 
the  detective. 

"I  have  two  five-dollar  bills.  The  rest  of  the 
money  is  in  tens." 


192  ALL   ADRIFT  ;    OB, 

"  Will  you  show  me  the  fives  ?  " 

Dory  produced  his  wallet,  and  handed  the 
two  bills  to  the  officer.  Peppers  passed  them  to 
Moody  at  once.  The  latter  shook  his  head,  and 
handed  them  back  to  the  detective,  who  returned 
them  to  the  owner.  The  skipper  wondered  what 
all  this  meant,  and  was  very  much  surprised  that 
Peppers  did  not  ask  him  where  he  had  got  the 
money  he  paid  for  the  Goldwing. 

"  That  sets  you  all  right,  Dory  Dornwood,"  said 
the  landlord.  "  I  am  sorry  we  made  you  come 
back  to  Plattsburgh,  but  Hawlinshed  was  sure 
you  were  the  one  that  stole  the  money  from 
Moody 's  room.  We  are  satisfied  now  that  an- 
other person  committed  the  robbery." 

"Then  you  don't  want  to  send  me  to  jail?" 
added  Dory,  with  a  sensation  of  the  most  intense 
relief. 

"  Not  at  all.  We  didn't  know  so  much  about 
the  case  yesterday  forenoon  as  we  do  now.  The 
next  man  we  want  to  see  is  Hawlinshed.  You 
say  he  is  aground  somewhere  in  the  steamer." 

"On  the  Colchester  Shoal:  at  least  he  was 
three  hours  ago,"  added  Dory. 

"  That's  in  Vermont,  but  I  will  give  you  ten 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  193 

dollars   to  put  Peppers  in   the   same  boat  with 
him." 

Dory  was  glad  enough  to  do  it.     The  tables 
had  turned. 


194  AT.T.  ADELFT;    OB, 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

DORY  LOCKS    HIS    PASSENGERS   INTO  THE  CABIN. 

N  dollars !  And  this  sum  was  to  be  made 
with  the  Goldwing.  It  would  pay  nearly 
one-fourth  of  what  she  cost,  and  add  ten  dollars 
to  the  sum  he  was  to  have  tKe  happiness  of  giv- 
ing to  his  mother. 

"I  don't  understand  yet  why  I  am  let  off," 
said  Dory,  after  he  had  recovered  from  his  amaze- 
ment at  the  prospect  of  earning  ten  dollars. 

"  You  are  let  off  because  you  didn't  do  it," 
replied  the  landlord,  laughing.  "  I  am  sorry  we 
accused  you,  but  it  looked  bad  for  you  at  the 
first  of  it.  Peppers  and  Moody  will  tell  you  all 
about  it  after  you  get  into  the  boat.  We  have 
an  early  dinner  ready,  and  you  must  dine  before 
you  go." 

In  addition  to  all  this,  the  landlord  invited  him 
to  come  to  his  house  whenever  he  was  in  Platts- 
burgh,  and  make  himself  at  home  there.  The 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  195 

hotel-keeper  dined  with  them,  and  he  asked  Dory 
a  great  many  questions  about  the  boat.  Was  she 
a  dangerous  boat  ? 

"Any  boat  will  tip  over  if  you  don't  handle 
her  right,"  replied  Dory  sagely.  "  I  sailed  her 
across  the  lake  yesterday  when  it  blew  a  young 
hurricane,  and  she  is  as  safe  as  any  boat  I  ever 
was  in." 

The  young  skipper  proceeded  to  explain  what 
had  made  the  Goldwing  so  unruly.  He  had  over- 
come the  difficulty,  and  he  was  sure  that  she  was 
as  safe  as  any  boat  on  the  lake.  He  had  perfect 
confidence  in  her,  and  he  was  willing  to  have 
her  tested  in  any  weather  by  any  boatman  on  the 
lake. 

"Pearl  Hawlinshed  wanted  to  buy  her;  and 
he  claims  to  be  the  greatest  boatman  on  the  lake, 
and  knows  his  way  all  over  it  from  Whitehall  to 
St.  Johns,"  added  the  hotel-keeper.  "  He  knows 
just  where  the  bottom  is  in  every  place." 

"  I  think  he  does,"  replied  Dory,  laughing.  "  I 
know  he  found  it  yesterday  and  to-day.  Any 
fellow  knows  just  where  the  bottom  is,  but  he 
don't  always  know  how  far  it  is  from  the  top." 

"  I  often  have   parties  here  who  want  a 


196  .    ALL  ADRIFT;  OB, 

and  a  skipper ;  and  I  may  be  able  to  turn  some 
business  into  your  hands,  Dory,"  added  the  hotel- 
keeper. 

"  Thank  you,  sir :  that's  what  I  want  every  day 
in  the  week,  except  Sunday,"  replied  the  skipper 
of  the  Goldwing. 

After  dinner  Dory  and  his  passengers  went  to 
the  wharf,  and  in  a  few  minutes  they  were  stand- 
ing up  the  lake.  The  wind  was  considerably 
fresher  than  it  had  been  in  the  morning,  and  the 
Goldwing  made  about  six  miles  an  hour.  The 
bad  reputation  of  the  boat  had  made  some  impres- 
sion upon  Peppers,  and  at  first  he  was  very  shy 
when  she  heeled  over  under  the  influence  of  the 
smart  breeze. 

Dory  soon  satisfied  him  that  the  boat  would 
not  upset,  with  any  thing  like  fair  treatment. 
He  explained  and  illustrated  the  lee-helm  busi- 
ness. With  the  tiller  fast  in  the  comb,  he  allowed 
the  craft  to  have  her  own  way.  At  the  next  gust 
she  threw  her  head  up  into  the  wind,  and  spilled 
all  her  sails.  This  satisfied  both  of  the  passen- 
gers, and  they  manifested  no  more  timidity. 

In  an  hour  and  a  half  the  schooner  was  up  with 
Stave  Island.  The  detective  had  asked  the  skip- 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  197 

per  half  a  dozen  times  if  he  could  see  any  thing 
of  the  Missisquoi ;  but  the  islands  had  concealed 
her  from  view,  if  she  were  still  on  the  shoal.  A 
few  minutes  more  would  enable  him  to  answer  the 
question.  Dory's  passengers  had  plied  him  so 
closely  with  questions  since  they  started,  that  he 
had  forgotten  all  about  the  matter  the  officer  was 
to  explain  to  him ;  but  the  expectation  of  soon 
seeing  Pearl  brought  it  back  to  his  mind. 

"  You  haven't  told  me  yet  why  I  was  charged 
with  taking  Mr.  Moody's  money  from  his  room," 
said  he. 

"One  reason  was,  that  you  were  seen  about  the 
hotel,  near  Mr.  Moody's  room ;  and  the  other  was, 
that  you  had  money  enough  to  buy  this  boat," 
replied  Peppers.  "But  I  was  satisfied  that  you 
didn't  take  the  money  as  soon  as  I  got  the  facts 
from  Moody." 

"  It  was  a  lucky  thing  for  you,  my  boy,  that  I 
fixed  things  as  I  did,"  added  Moody. 

"  How  did  you  fix  things  ?  "  asked  Dory. 

"I  have  just  started  the  business  of  making 
tomato-wine  for  sickness.  I  sold  two  hundred 
dollars'  worth  of  it  in  Plattsburgh,  part  of  it  to  go 
to  New  York.  The  merchant  gave  me  a  check 


198  ALL  ADRIFT;  OK, 

for  the  money,  and  I  went  to  the  bank  to  cash 
it.  I  received  forty  brand-new  five-dollar  bills," 
Moody  explained,  producing  one  of  the  bills.  "  I 
am  trying  to  advertise  my  business  all  I  can ;  and 
I  had  a  rubber  stamp  made,  which  the  agent  de- 
livered to  me  the  day  I  got  my  money.  I  went  to 
my  room,  and  stamped  every  one  of  those  new  bills 
with  my  business  card  in  red  ink.  That  is  the 
way  I  know  the  bills  when  I  see  them." 

"  And  that  is  the  reason  why  you  wanted  to  see 
all  the  five-dollar  bills  I  had,"  added  Dory. 

"But  we  had  looked  over  the  bills  you  paid  for 
the  boat  before,"  said  the  detective.  "  We  have 
been  looking  for  bills  with  this  red  stamp  upon  it 
since  yesterday  noon." 

"Have  you  found  any?"  inquired  Dory  with 
interest. 

"I  found  two  of  them.  We  have  got  to  the 
southward  of  Stave  Island  now.  Can't  you  tell 
whether  that  steamer  is  in  sight  now  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir  :  there  she  is,  just  where  we  left  her 
this  morning,"  replied  the  skipper,  as  he  glanced 
in  the  direction  of  the  shoal.  "I  think  Pearl 
Hawlinshed  has  had  a  good  time  there  all  day." 

"  How  far  off  is  she  ?  "  asked  Peppers. 


THE  GOLDWING    CLUB.  199 

"About  two  miles,  but  we  shall  reach  her  in 
twenty  minutes.  Where  did  you  find  the  two 
bills  with  the  stamp  on  them  ?  "  asked  Dory. 

"  Can  they  see  us  on  board  of  that  steamer, 
Dory  ?  "  asked  the  detective,  without  heeding  the 
question. 

"They  can  see  the  boat;  but  of  course  they 
can't  tell  who  is  in  her  two  miles  off,"  replied 
Dory. 

"I  am  afraid  I  shall  have  some  trouble  with 
Pearl,  Dory,"  said  Peppers  anxiously.  "  The 
landlord  was  to  give  you  ten  dollars  if  you  put 
me  in  the  same  boat  with  Pearl." 

"I  think  I  shall  earn  the  money  without  any 
trouble,"  replied  Dory,  laughing  with  delight  at 
the  bright  prospect  before  him. 

"  But,  Dory,  it  makes  some  difference  to  me  in 
what  boat  I  happen  to  be  put  with  him,  though 
you  will  earn  your  money  all  the  same,"  added  the 
officer. 

"All  I  can  do  is  to  put  you  on  board  of  the 
Missisquoi.  Of  course  I  can't  put  Pearl  Haw- 
linshed  on  board  of  this  boat  if  he  is  not  willing 
to  come." 

"  But  I  don't  want  to  be  put  on  board  of  the 


200  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

Missisquoi,"  protested  Peppers.  "  There  is  where 
the  rub  comes.  I  am  an  officer  in  Plattsburgh, 
but  not  in  the  State  of  Vermont.  I  can't  arrest 
Pearl  over  here." 

"  Arrest  him  !  Are  you  going  to  take  him  up  ?  " 
asked  Dory,  not  a  little  astonished  at  this  revela- 
tion. 

" 1  am  not  going  to  do  it  over  here ;  and  he  may 
make  me  no  end  of  trouble  when  he  sees  how  the 
land  lays,"  added  Peppers ;  and  at  the  same  time 
he  sat  down  in  the  bottom  of  the  standing- 
room. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  arrest  him  for  ?  " 

"  For  stealing  Moody's  money ! "  exclaimed  the 
detective  desperately.  "I  didn't  mean  to  tell 
you  the  whole  story  just  yet,  but  you  have 
dragged  it  out  of  me.  Drop  down  here,  Moody." 

The  loser  of  the  money  obeyed,  though  he 
seemed  to  be  as  much  in  the  dark  as  to  the  object 
of  the  movement  as  the  skipper.  Dory  was  wor- 
ried at  the  words  of  the  officer ;  for,  if  he  would 
not  go  on  board  of  the  little  steamer  when  he  went 
alongside  of  her,  he  might  not  be  able  to  earn  the 
promised  reward. 

"What  is  aU  this  for,  Mr.  Peppers?"  asked 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  201 

Dory,  quite  as  anxious  to  earn  his  money  as  the 
detective  was  to  secure  his  prisoner. 

"Can't  we  go  into  the  cabin,  and  shut  the 
doors,  Dory  ?  "  asked  Peppers. 

"  You  can ;  but  that  would  bring  the  boat  down 
by  the  head  so  much  that  she  won't  work  well. 
If  you  want  to  do  that,  I  will  shift  the  ballast," 
replied  Dory. 

"  I  don't  want  Pearl  to  see  me  until  we  get  him 
into  this  boat.  It  won't  do  for  me  to  take  him 
out  of  the  steamer  over  here.  I  am  afraid  to  do 
it.  Shift  your  ballast,  and  then  I  will  fix  it  up 
with  you,"  added  the  officer. 

"Fix  up  the  ballast!"  exclaimed  Dory,  who 
did  not  care  to  have  any  one  meddle  with  the 
ballast  but  himself. 

"  No,  no !  Fix  up  a  plan  to  get  Pearl  into  this 
boat.  Don't  try  to  be  so  thick,  Dory,"  replied 
Peppers  impatiently. 

The  skipper  could  not  leave  the  helm  to  move 
the  ballast,  and  neither  of  his  passengers  knew  any 
thing  about  a  boat.  But  the  men  shifted  the  fifty- 
siies  under  the  direction  of  the  skipper.  Five  of 
them  were  carried  farther  aft,  and  the  passengers 
took  their  places  one  in  each  berth  in  the  cabin. 


202  ALL   ADRIFT  J    OR, 

The  doors  opening  into  the  standing-room  were 
closed,  but  the  slide  was  left  open  till  the  schooner 
came  alongside  the  Missisquoi.  The  men  declared 
that  they  were  very  comfortable  in  their  quarters, 
and  Dory  could  not  see  why  they  should  not  be. 
He  did  not  think  there  was  any  better  place  in 
the  known  world  than  the  cabin  of  the  Goldwing. 

"  Now,  how  are  we  to  get  Pearl  into  this  boat  ?  " 
asked  Peppers,  with  his  head  at  the  opening  by 
the  slide. 

"  I  don't  think  you  will  have  any  trouble  about 
that,"  replied  Dory.  "He  wanted  me  to  take 
him  on  board  this  morning,  but  I  believe  he  will 
take  the  boat  away  from  me  as  soon  as  he  comes 
on  board." 

"Don't  you  be  alarmed  about  that,  Dory.  I 
can  take  care  of  him  when  I  get  him  within  reach 
of  my  hand,"  added  the  detective. 

"I  believe  he  is  as  ugly  as  sin  itself,  and  I 
think  he  hates  me  worse  than  he  does  the  Evil 
One  himself.  I  have  given  him  a  big  run  the  last 
two  days,  and  I  gave  him  a  chance  to  find  the 
bottom  twice." 

"  I  will  look  out  for  you,  Dory.  I  don't  want 
him  to  know  we  are  on  board  of  the  boat  till  we 


TFTE   GOLDWING    CHUB.  203 

get  over  to  the  other  side  of  the  lake,"  added 
Peppers.  "  He  will  look  into  this  cabin  the  first 
thing  he  does  after  he  comes  on  board.  Can't 
you. give  us  the  key,  and  let  us  lock  ourselves  in, 
Dory?" 

u  You  can't  lock  the  doors  on  the  inside,"  an- 
swered Dory.  "  When  the  slide  is  drawn,  a  hasp 
comes  down  from  it,  and  all  the  doors  are  fastened 
with  a  padlock." 

"  Then  why  can't  you  lock  us  in  ?  You  won't 
tip  the  boat  over  while  we  are  in  here,  will  you  ?  " 
asked  the  detective,  as  he  thrust  his  head  out  far 
enough  to  enable  him  to  see  the  steamer,  which 
was  not  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant  by 
this  time. 

"  I  will  agree  not  to  tip  you  over ;  but  I  can't 
tell  what  else  may  happen,  if  I  take  such  a  fellow 
as  Pearl  Hawlinshed  on  board." 

"If  you  have  any  trouble  with  him,  all  you 
have  to  do  is  to  unlock  the  door,  and  let  us  out ; 
and  we  will  take  care  of  you." 

"  All  right !  I  am  satisfied  to  do  any  thing  you 
say,"  added  Dory,  as  he  went  forward,  drew  the 
slide,  and  locked  his  passengers  into  the  cabin. 

By  the  change  in  the  position  of  the  ballast  the 


204  ALL  ADRIFT  ;    OK, 

boat  was  kept  in  good  trim.  She  dashed  merrily 
through  the  water,  and  in  a  few  minutes  more 
she  was  describing  a  circle  around  the  grounded 
steamer. 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  205 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

PEARL  HAWLINSHED  RESORTS   TO  VIOLENCE. 

"  T TALLO !    is   that  you,  Dory   Dornwood?" 

-*— J-  shouted  Pearl  Hawlinshed,  as  the  Gold- 
wing  came  within  hail  of  the  steamer.  "Come 
alongside,  and  take  me  on  board ! " 

"All  right!"  replied  the  skipper  of  the 
schooner,  as  he  hauled  in  the  sheets  with  all 
his  might. 

"Take  me  on  board,  and  I  will  make  it  all 
right  with  you,"  continued  Pearl,  who  did  not 
seem  to  believe  that  Dory  intended  to  take  him 
on  board. 

The  skipper  had  brought  the  boat  about  so 
that  all  her  sails  were  shaking,  but  she  had  head- 
way enough  to  carry  her  to  the  port  quarter  of 
the  steamer. 

"  Be  all  ready  to  jump  on  board  when  I  come 
up  alongside,"  called  Dory. 

"  Are  you  going  off  to  leave  us,  now  that  you 


206  ALL  ADRIFT  ;    OB, 

have  got  us  into  this  scrape  ?  "  demanded  Captain 
Vesey,  springing  to  his  feet ;  for  he  had  evidently 
been  asleep  on  the  quarter-deck. 

"  I  am  going  to  get  a  steamer  to  drag  you  off 
this  shoal,"  replied  Pearl.  "I  will  come  back  in 
a  couple  of  hours  or  so." 

"  You  may  forget  to  come,"  added  Mr.  Button, 
the  engineer.  "I  think  you  had  better  pay  me 
the  five  dollars  you  owe  me  before  we  part  com- 
pany." 

"  And  five  dollars  you  owe  me,"  added  Captain 
Vesey. 

"I  don't  owe  you  any  five  dollars,  either  of 
you,"  replied  Pearl  blandly,  as  he  was  about  to 
leap  on  board  of  the  Goldwing.  "  I  was  to  give 
you  five  dollars  apiece  if  you  put  me  on  board  of 
this  boat,  and  you  haven't  done  it." 

"  We  should  have  done  it  if  we  hadn't  let  you 
do  the  piloting,"  replied  Captain  Vesey.  "  You 
owe  us  the  money,  and  you  must  pay  it." 

"I  think  not,"  added  Pearl,  as  he  sprang  on 
the  forward  deck  of  the  schooner.  "  You  haven't 
done  what  I  agreed  to  pay  you  for." 

"  Hold  on  !  "  shouted  Button  angrily.  "  If  you 
don't  pay  me,  I  will  take  it  out  of  your  hide." 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  207 

"  You  will  catch  me  first,  won't  you  ?  "  jeered 
Pearl,  as  he  leaped  down  into  the  standing-room 
of  the  boat. 

"  Don't  carry  him  off,  Dory,"  added  Captain 
Vesey.  "  He  is  the  biggest  rascal  that  ever  floated 
on  Lake  Champlain." 

"Keep  off,  Dory,  if  you  know  when  you  are 
well  off ! "  said  Pearl  in  threatening  tones. 

But  Dory  was  anxious  to  perform  his  part  in 
the  drama;  and  he  filled  away  on  the  starboard 
tack,  pointing  the  head  of  the  boat  towards 
Plattsburgh.  His  fellow-voyagers  did  not  give 
Pearl  a  good  character,  but  this  was  not  a  sur- 
prise to  the  skipper.  He  knew  what  Pearl  was 
before  he  had  seen  him  in  the  daylight. 

"Here  we  are,  Dory,"  said  the  villain,  as  he 
seated  himself  in  the  standing-room.  "  You  have 
dodged  me  times  enough  yesterday  and  to-day, 
and  I  am  glad  to  be  alone  on  board  of  this  craft 
with  you." 

The  skipper  did  not  express  his  satisfaction 
that  they  were  not  alone,  but  he  felt  it  just  the 
same.  Pearl  was  ugly,  and  Dory  did  not  like 
the  looks  of  him.  The  new  passenger  gazed 
about  him,  and  seemed  to  be  examining  the  boat 


208  ALL  ADRIFT;  OB, 

for  some  time.  He  looked  under  the  seats  in  the 
standing-room,  and  opened  a  couple  of  lockers. 
Then  he  raised  the  floor-boards,  and  looked  at 
the  ballast. 

When  he  had  done  this,  he  seated  himself  again. 
He  looked  at  Dory,  and  then  he  glanced  up  at 
the  sails.  He  watched  the  sailing  of  the  schooner 
in  silence  for  a  few  minutes.  He  evidently  had 
something  on  his  mind,  and  he  appeared  to  be 
debating  with  himself  as  to  the  manner  in  which 
he  should  open  the  subject.  As  his  eyes  wandered 
about  the  boat,  they  rested  upon  the  cabin-doors. 
He  looked  at  them  a  moment,  and  then  went  for- 
ward, and  tried  to  open  them. 

"  You  keep  the  cuddy  locked,  do  you,  Dory  ? " 
asked  he,  as  he  pulled  several  times  at  the  doors. 

"Just  now  I  do,"  replied  Dory,  who  had  no 
skill  in  lying,  and  no  inclination  to  practise  it. 
"I  wish  you  would  come  aft,  Mr.  Hawlinshed. 
When  you  are  so  far  forward,  it  puts  her  down 
too  much  by  the  head." 

"  She  works  very  well  indeed,  Dory  Dornwood. 
What  have  you  been  doing  to  her  ?  "  asked  Pearl. 

"I  changed  the  position  of  the  foremast,  and 
have  shifted  the  ballast,"  replied  Dory,  wishing 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  209 

the  third  passenger  would  come  aft;  for  he  was 
afraid  he  might  discover  the  presence  of  the  others 
in  the  cabin. 

"  Do  you  happen  to  have  the  key  to  this  pad- 
lock in  your  pocket,  Dory?"  asked  Pearl  in  an 
indifferent  tone. 

Just  then  he  saw  the  inquirer  drop  his  head, 
and  put  his  right  ear  very  near  the  blinds  in  the 
doors  of  the  cabin.  But  he  did  not  act  as  if  he 
had  discovered  any  thing.  The  skipper  thought 
he  heard  some  kind  of  a  noise  in  the  cabin,  as 
though  one  of  its  occupants  had  coughed  or 
sneezed.  But  he  was  not  sure  of  it,  and  the 
noise  was  just  as  likely  to  have  been  the  dashing 
of  the  water  against  the  bow  of  the  boat. 

"  You  spoil  the  sailing  of  the  boat  by  staying 
so  far  forward,"  repeated  the  skipper,  with  his 
heart  in  his  mouth. 

"  Perhaps  I  do,  Dory  Dornwood.  I  asked  you 
if  you  happened  to  have  the  key  of  that  padlock 
in  your  pocket,"  said  Pearl,  as  he  moved  aft.  "  I 
should  like  to  have  you  answer  me  if  it  isn't  too 
much  trouble." 

"  Of  course  I  have  the  key,"  replied  Dory. 

"  Suppose  you  give  it  to  me  ?    I  should  like  to 


210  ALL  ADRIFT;   OK, 

take  a  nap  in  the  cabin  while  we  are  going  down 
the  lake,"  added  Pearl. 

"  I  just  said  it  spoiled  the  sailing  of  the  boat  to 
have  you  so  far  forward.  I  slept  on  that  seat  here 
in  the  standing-room  last  night ;  and  I  think  you 
can  take  your  nap  just  as  comfortably  there  as  in 
the  cabin,"  answered  Dory. 

There  was  something  cunning  and  suspicious 
in  the  conduct  of  Pearl  Hawlinshed  that  made 
the  skipper  very  uncomfortable.  He  acted  as 
though  he  was  playing  a  part  to  accomplish  a  pur- 
pose. The  skipper  had  made  up  his  mind  that  it 
was  time  for  him  to  open  the  cabin-doors,  and  thus 
obtain  the  assistance  and  protection  of  the  offi- 
cer. 

"  Don't  say  any  thing  more  to  me  about  spoiling 
the  sailing  of  the  boat,  Dory.  I  know  more  about 
sailing  a  boat  than  you  do,"  replied  Pearl.  "  You 
are  a  cross-grained  youth,  and  you  know  more 
than  the  law  allows  for  a  boy  of  your  years.  You 
beat  me  out  of  this  boat ;  but  you  stole  the  money 
to  buy  her,  and  it  was  no  trade." 

The  skipper  concluded  that  it  was  best  to  make 
no  reply  to  this  charge. 

"  We  will  settle  that  matter  at  another  time," 


THE   GOLDWING   CLUB.  211 

continued  Pearl.     "I  believe  I  hinted  to  you  that 
I  wanted  to  take  a  nap  in  the  cabin." 

"  And  I  hinted  to  you  that  I  did  not  want  the 
boat  loaded  by  the  head  any  more,"  replied  Dory, 
who  was  not  at  all  disposed  to  be  bullied,  politely 
or  otherwise. 

"  I  prefer  to  sleep  in  the  cabin,  and  I  want  the 
key  of  that  padlock,"  said  Pearl  more  decidedly 
than  he  had  before  spoken. 

"You  can't  have  it,"  replied  Dory  with  quite 
as  much  decision. 

"Do  you  wish  me  to  throw  you  overboard, 
Dory  Dornwood  ? "  demanded  Pearl,  fixing  his 
ugly  look  upon  the  skipper. 

"  No,  I  don't." 

"  Then  I  hope  you  won't  make  me  do  it,  for  I 
might  be  sorry  for  it ;  but  I  must  have  that  key." 
.  "  I  don't  see  what  you  want  of  the  key,"  added 
Dory,  whose  sober  second  thought  was,  that  he 
had  better  not  provoke  such  a  dangerous  man. 
"  This  boat  has  a  bad  reputation,  and  I  have  to  be 
very  careful  with  her." 

'•You  were  very  careful  yesterday  when  you 
ran  across  the  lake  in  her  with  the  wind  blowing 
a  heavy  gale,"  said  Pearl  with  a  sneer. 


212  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

"  I  will  fix  a  nice  bed  for  you  on  that  seat." 

"  I  want  the  key !  "  exclaimed  Pearl  savagely. 

Dory  was  silent.  The  key  was  in  his  trousers- 
pocket,  where  he  kept  his  wallet,  containing  sixty 
dollars.  His  ugly  passenger  was  evidently  deter- 
mined to  have  the  key.  Unless  he  had  discovered 
that  some  one  was  in  the  cabin,  he  could  not  see 
why  his  persecutor  was  so  strenuous  to  obtain  the 
key.  Pearl  was  not  a  large  man  ;  but  he  was  very 
strong  and  quick,  as  he  had  learned  in  the  affair 
in  the  woods,  when  the  ruffian  had  hurled  him 
away  from  him  as  though  he  had  been  nothing 
but  a  baby. 

He  could  hardly  get  the  better  of  him  if  Pearl 
resorted  to  violence.  His  .companion  in  the 
standing-room  claimed  to  be  a  skilful  boatman, 
and  was  not  dependent  upon  him  to  act  as  skip- 
per. The  situation  began  to  look  very  serious. 
Though  Peppers  must  have  heard  every  word  that 
passed  between  him  and  Pearl,  he  had  not  be- 
trayed his  presence  on  board  of  the  boat.  Per- 
haps it  would  have  been  foolish  for  him  to  do  so, 
as  he  was  as  securely  caged  as  though  he  had  been 
locked  up  in  the  Clinton  County  jail. 

Dory  finally  decided   that   the   only  thing  for 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  213 

him  to  do  was  to  open  the  cabin-doors,  and  thus 
secure  the  aid  of  the  officer.  But  Pearl  was 
watching  him  as  a  cat  eyes  a  mouse.  Whether  the 
ruffianly  passenger  would  permit  him  to  open  the 
doors  was  now  the  question.  The  skipper  got  his 
hand  on  the  key  in  his  pocket,  though  he  did  not 
venture  to  take  it  out.  At  a  favorable  moment, 
if  any  such  was  presented,  he  intended  to  make  a 
rush  to  the  forward  deck  to  effect  his  pur- 
pose. 

"  There  is  a  steamer  bound  to  the  north,"  said 
he,  pointing  to  a  vessel  a  mile  to  the  windward  of 
the  Goldwing.  "  Perhaps  she  would  run  over,  and 
pull  the  Missisquoi  off  the  shoal." 

"  I  don't  want  any  thing  more  of  the  Missisquoi; 
and  she  may  lie  where  she  is  till  she  rots,"  replied 
Pearl,  without  taking  his  gaze  from  Dory. 

"  Do  you  know  what  boat  that  is,  Mr.  Hawlin- 
shed  ?  "  asked  the  skipper,  very  anxious  to  induce 
his  companion  to  look  away  from  him,  even  for  an 
instant. 

"  I  don't  know  what  steamer  that  is ;  and  I 
don't  care,  unless  you  should  happen  to  go  too 
near  her.  In  that  case,  I  should  object,"  answered 
Pearl,  without  looking  at  her. 


214  ALL   ADRIFT;    OB, 

"  Are  you  afraid  of  her,  Mr.  Hawlinshed  ?  She 
looks  peaceful  enough,"  added  Dory. 

"  You  needn't  talk  any  more.  I  know  what 
you  are  trying  to  do ;  and  you  won't  do  it,"  said 
the  passenger. 

Dory  saw  that  it  was  no  use  to  wait  any  longer. 
Pearl  was  determined  not  to  take  his  eyes  off  the 
skipper.  Dory  fussed  a  moment  with  the  sheets, 
trying  in  this  manner  to  distract  the  attention  of 
the  villain.  Finally  he  let  go  the  jib-sheet,  and  it 
ran  out.  With  the  key  in  his  hand,  he  rushed 
forward,  as  if  to  secure  the  rope,  but  really  to 
unlock  the  cabin-door. 

Before  he  could  reach  the  doors,  Pearl  threw 
himself  upon  his  victim.  Dory  went  down  into 
the  bottom  of  the  boat  in  spite  of  his  best  exer- 
tions to  save  himself.  His  right  hand  was  firmly 
grasped  by  his  assailant,  and  the  key  wrenched 
from  his  hand.  It  was  done  almost  as  quick  as  a 
flash,  and  Dory  was  as  powerless  in  the  hands  of 
the  villain  as  though  he  had  been  only  an  infant. 

Pearl  did  not  offer  to  use  any  more  violence 
than  was  necessary  to  obtain  the  key.  When  he 
had  secured  possession  of  it,  he  hurled  his  victim 
from  him. 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  215 


CHAPTER  XX. 

ME.  PEPPEES  FINDS  THE  TABLES  TTJENED. 


DORNWOOD  gathered  himself  up 
after  his.  defeat,  and  stood  upon  his  legs 
again.  He  was  mortified  at  the  result  of  his 
attempt  to  release  the  officer,  and  improve  his 
situation  in  the  boat.  He  had  thought  of  using 
the  tiller  as  a  weapon,  and  now  he  was  sorry  he 
had  not  done  so.  Doubtless  it  was  better  for  him 
that  he  had  not  ;  for  that  would  only  have  com- 
pelled his  assailant  to  use  greater  violence,  and 
he  might  have  been  seriously  injured,  for  Pearl 
seemed  to  be  desperate  enough  to  do  any  thing. 

"Now  pick  up  your  sheet,  Dory,"  said  Pearl,  as 
he  went  to  the  helm,,  and  took  the  tiller  in  his 
hand. 

Dory  did  not  feel  so  much  interest  in  the  sailing 
of  the  boat  as  he  had  a  short  time  before,  and  he 
took  no  notice  of  the  order  of  his  conqueror.  He 
looked  at  Pearl,  and  saw  him  deposit  the  key  of 


216  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

the  padlock  in  the  depths  of  his  trousers-pocket, 
which  he  buttoned  up,  as  though  he  expected  an 
attempt  would  be  made  to  take  it  from  him.  The 
new  skipper  had  kept  the  helm  up  until  all  the 
sails  but  the  jib  were  drawing  full. 

"  I  think  I  told  you  to  pick  up  that  jib-sheet, 
Dory  Dornwood,"  said  Pearl,  in  what  he  doubtless 
intended  for  an  impressive  manner. 

Dory  had  certainly  exhibited  a  considerable 
degree  of  prudence  under  the  trying  circumstances 
in  which  he  was  placed ;  but  now  his  stock  of  that 
virtue  appeared  to  be  exhausted,  for  he  took  no 
notice  of  the  order  repeated  to  him,  and  the  im- 
pressiveness  of  Pearl  was  wasted.  Dory  was  dis- 
gusted at  his  overwhelming  defeat,  and  he  had  not 
philosophy  enough  to  submit  to  it  with  good  grace. 
In  fact,  he  was  downright  mad  at  the  treatment 
he  had  received  from  his  last  passenger. 

He  was  looking  about  him  for  the  means  of 
resistance.  The  long  tiller  was  in  the  cabin,  and 
he  had  neglected  to  take  the  small  one  from  the 
rudder-head.  As  the  situation  was  now,  he  was 
disposed  to  fight;  but,  unprovided  with  any  sort 
of  a  weapon,  he  realized  that  he  was  no  match  for 
the  villain  who  had  taken  possession  of  the  boat. 


THE  GOLD  WING  CLUB.          217 

He  looked  at  the  blinds  in  the  cabin-doors. 
He  could  put  his  foot  through  them ;  but,  if  he 
did,  the  aperture  was  not  large  enough  for  the 
officer  to  crawl  through.  He  began  to  wonder 
that  Peppers  did  not  say  or  do  something 

"If  you  don't  pijsk  up  that  jib-sheet,  Dory 
Dornwood,  it  will  be  all  the  worse  for  you,"  said 
Pearl,  not  so  impressively  as  before ;  for  he  had 
found  that  manner  did  not  operate  with  the  late 
skipper. 

"  If  you  are  going  to  sail  the  boat,  pick  it  up 
yourself,"  replied  Dory  with  more  grit  than  dis- 
cretion. 

At  this  particular  moment  the  eye  of  the  late 
skipper  rested  on  a  round  hard-wood  stick  which 
lay  on  the  floor  of  the  standing-room.  It  was  used 
in  shoving  down  the  centre-board  when  necessary. 
When  he  saw  it  he  laid  hold  of  it.  He  felt 
stronger  in  spirit  and  in  muscle  as  soon  as  he  had 
it  in  his  possession. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  with  that  stick, 
yjou  young  cub?"  demanded  Pearl,  rising  from 
his  seat. 

"  I  am  going  to  use  it,"  replied  Dory,  filled 
with  wrath. 


218  ALL  ADEIFT;  OR, 

If  he  had  waited  for  some  of  his  wrath  to 
evaporate,  he  would  have  done  better.  With  the 
club  upraised,  he  rushed  aft  with  the  intention 
of  attacking  his  persecutor.  He  calculated  that 
one  blow  over  the  head  with  the  heavy  weapon 
in  his  hand  would  depose  and  dispose  of  the  new 
skipper  of  the  Goldwing,  and  restore  him  to  his 
place  again.  Possibly  it  might  if  Dory  had  suc- 
ceeded in  delivering  the  blow.  He  was  angry 
and  excited,  while  Pearl  was  cool  and  self-pos- 
sessed. 

As  he  struck  what  was  to  be  the  finishing  blow 
of  the  conflict,  Pearl  caught  him  by  the  arm,  and 
in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  wrested  the  club 
from  his  hand.  He  threw  it  on  the  floor,  and 
then  he  jammed  the  belligerent  young  man  down 
upon  the  seat  very  hard.  Dory  felt  his  bones 
quake  as  he  came  down  on  the  board. 

"You  have  got  grit  enough  to  fit  out  a  flock 
of  Bantam  roosters,"  said  Pearl,  still  holding 
his  victim  by  the  collar  of  his  coat.  "But  I 
don't  want  any  more  of  this  thing,  and  I  won't 
have  it." 

Taking  a  reef-pendant  from  under  the  seat,  he 
proceeded  to  tie  the  hands  of  the  late  skipper 


THE  GCXLDWING  CLUB.  219 

behind  him.  -  When  he  had  done  this,  in  spite 
of  Dory's  struggles,  he  made  him  fast  to  the  side 
of  the  boat. 

"  Now,  young  man,  I  think  you  will  stay  where 
I  put  you,"  said  Pearl,  as  he  looked  his  prisoner 
over,  and  saw  that  he  was  secure.  "  You  won't 
make  any  thing  by  such  stupid  conduct." 

"What's  going  on  out  there,  Dory?"  called 
Peppers,  who  could  not  help  hearing  the  noise 
of  the  scuffle. 

"Nothing  particular  going  on  just  now:  it  is 
all  over,"  said  Pearl,  as  he  resumed  his  place  at 
the  helm,  though  not  till  he  had  gathered  up  the 
truant  sheet. 

"  Why  don't  you  unlock  the  door,  Dory  ?  "  con- 
tinued the  officer. 

"I  can't,"  answered  Dory,  whose  tongue  was 
not  tied,  if  his  arms  were.  "  Pearl  Hawlinshed 
has  taken  the  key  away  from  me,  and  tied  my 
hands  behind  me." 

"Are  you  there,  Hawlinshed?"  asked  Peppers. 

"Of  course  I  am  here.  Ask  Dory  Dornwood 
if  I  am  not,"  replied  the  skipper,  chuckling  at 
his  own  reply. 

"What  does  this  mean,  Hawlinshed?" 


220  ALL  ADRIFT;  OK, 

"  Well,  it  means  any  thing  you  please,  Peppers. 
So  you  had  passengers  in  the  cabin,  Dory;  and 
that  is  the  reason  you  didn't  want  to  open  the 
cabin,"  added  Pearl. 

"  Open  this  door,  and  let  us  out,  Hawlinshed, 
if  you  have  the  key,"  said  the  detective  in  a  mild 
and  good-natured  tone,  as  though  he  expected  the 
villain  to  do  it.  , 

"  No :  I  think  I  won't,"  replied  Pearl.  "  I  am 
afraid  you  wouldn't  behave  yourself  as  well  out 
here  as  you  do  in  the  cabin." 

The  officer  said  no  more  for  several  minutes. 
Dory  concluded  that  he  was  looking  over  his 
chances  of  getting  out  of  his  prison.  Probably 
he  was  willing  to  admit  by  this  time  that  the 
tables  had  been  turned  upon  him.  The  owner 
of  the  Goldwing  could  think  of  no  way  by  which 
the  prisoners  could  get  out.  The  doors  were 
made  of  plank,  and  he  could  not  get  at  the  hinges 
to  operate  upon  them. 

"I  think  we  had  better  talk  this  thing  over, 
Pearl,"  said  Peppers,  after  a  silence  of  several 
minutes.  "  We  may  be  able  to  come  to  an  under- 
standing." 

"I  don't  object  to  talking  it  over.    I  haven't 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  221 

got  any  thing  else  to  do;  but  I  am  afraid  we 
can't  come  to  any  understanding,"  replied  the 
skipper.  "You  are  a  constable,  police-officer, 
detective,  and  all  that  sort  of  thing ;  and  I  sup- 
pose you  went  over  into  Vermont  on  business. 
Did  you  finish  it  before  you  were  locked  into  that 
place?" 

Pearl  chuckled,  and  was  very  good-natured  in 
his  remarks ;  and  he  plainly  felt  that  he  was  mas- 
ter of  the  situation. 

"  I  didn't  finish  my  business ;  but,  if  you  will 
open  the  door,  I  will  end  it  in  a  very  short  time," 
answered  the  officer. 

"  Then  I  guess  I  won't  open  the  door,"  laughed 
Pearl.  "  Perhaps  you  won't  object  to  telling  me 
what  your  business  is  in  these  parts." 

"  I  can't  do  any  thing  till  you  let  me  out." 

"  Then  you  can't  do  any  thing  at  all.  You  had 
better  turn  in,  and  take  a  nap  for  the  rest  of  the 
day." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  keep  us  in  here  all  day,  Haw- 
linshed?" 

"Yes :  and  all  night  if  you  don't  behave  your- 
self." 

Another  silence  followed,  in  which  the  caged 


222  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

officer  was  probably  considering  what  he  should 
do  next.  It  was  broken  by  a  sudden  crash,  which 
startled  Dory.  He  found  that  something  besides 
the  silence  was  broken.  All  the  blinds  in  one  of 
the  doors  were  smashed  out  at  a  single  stroke 
from  the  shoulder  of  the  detective.  It  hurt 
Dory's  feelings  to  see  the  beautiful  work  of  the 
boat  reduced  to  splinters  in  an  instant;  but  he 
realized  that  he  was  in  the  midst  of  a  stirring 
adventure,  and  the  blinds  could  be  easily  re- 
stored. 

"Good!"  exclaimed  Pearl,  as  the  opening 
appeared  in  the  door.  "  You  did  that  very  well, 
Peppers.  I  was  wishing  I  could  leave  the  helm 
long  enough  to  do  it  myself,  for  I  wanted  to  see 
who  the  other  fellow  was  that  had  taken  passage 
with  me.  Besides,  I  think  it  is. a  good  deal  more 
sociable  to  see  a  man's  face  when  you  are  talking 
to  him." 

"  Of  course  you  know,  Hawlinshed,  that  you 
are  resisting  an  officer,  and  obstructing  him  in  the 
discharge  of  his  duty?"  demanded  Peppers,  be- 
ginning to  be  a  little  more  demonstrative  as  he 
failed  to  appreciate  the  humor  of  the  new  skipper. 

"  Of  course  I  understand  that  I  am  obstructing 


THE  -GOLDWING   CLUB.  223 

an  officer,  — a  New- York  officer  over  here  in  Ver- 
mont," chuckled  Pearl.  "By  the  way,  Peppers, 
have  you  such  a  thing  about  you  as  a  pistol  of 
any  kind,  —  a  revolver,  a  seven-shooter,  or  any 
toy  of  this  sort?" 

"  I  haven't  any  such  thing  about  me.  If  I  had, 
I  should  shoot  you  the  next  thing  I  did,"  answered 
Peppers  petulantly. 

"  Oh,  no !  You  wouldn't  do  such  a  thing  as 
that.  It  might  hurt  me,"  said  Pearl  with  a  laugh. 

"  That  is  to  say  "  —  continued  Peppers ;  and  it 
was  plain  to  Dory  that  Moody  had  indicated  to 
him  that  he  had  made  a  blunder  in  telling  the 
rascal  that  he  had  no  dangerous  weapon. 

"  That  is  to  say  that  you  haven't  any  pistol, 
but  the  other  fellow  has  one,"  added  Pearl.  "  By 
the  way,  who  is  the  other  fellow  ?  It  would  be 
a  good  deal  more  sociable  if  you  would  introduce 
him." 

"  His  name  is  Moody,  and  he  will  be  very  glad 
to  make  your  acquaintance,  Hawlinshed." 

"  If  he  has  got  a  pistol,  it  might  go  off,  and  hurt 
one  of  you  in  that  narrow  place ;  and  I  think  you 
had  better  hand  it  out,  and  have  it  properly  taken 
care  of,"  continued  Pearl. 


224  ALL  ADRIFT;    OR, 

"Moody  has  four  pistols,  all  of  them  seven- 
shooters,"  said  the  detective,  who  seemed  to  be 
determined  effectually  to  counteract  the  influence 
of  the  blunder  he  had  made. 

"  Four  seven-shooters !  "  exclaimed  Pearl.  "  He 
is  a  walking  arsenal.  He  would  sink  if  he  should 
fall  overboard  with  such  a  weight  of  arms  upon 
him  ;  and  I  think  he  had  better  pass  them  out 
through  the  hole  you  have  been  so  kind  as  to 
make." 

"He  concludes  that  he  may  want  them,  and 
he  don't  mean  to  fall  overboard,"  replied  Pep- 
pers. 

"  All  right !  but  let  him  be  very  careful  with 
them ;  for  pistols  are  dangerous  things  in  such  a 
little  hole  as  you  now  occupy,"  answered  Pearl, 
who  was  no  simpleton,  and  was  confident  that 
Moody  had  no  pistol,  to  say  nothing  of  four  of 
them. 

A  silence  of  a  full  hour  followed,  for  neither 
party  seemed  to  have  any  plan  to  act  upon.  It 
was  plain  enough  to  Dory  that  the  new  skipper 
had  discovered  the  presence  of  the  detective  on 
board  of  the  boat,  either  before  or  soon  after  he 
went  into  her  himself.  A  little  later  he  saw  a 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  225 

plaid  overcoat  lying  on  the  forward  deck.  It  was 
odd  enough  to  betray  the  identity  of  its  owner, 
who  had  forgotten  to  take  it  into  the  cabin  with 
him. 

It  afterwards  appeared  that  Moody  had  sneezed 
twice.  This  was  the  sound  the  skipper  heard; 
and  it  informed  the  later  passenger  that  the  cabin 
was  occupied,  as  the  coat  explained  by  whom. 
Two  hours  had  elapsed  since  the  capture  of  the 
boat ;  and  the  Gold  wing  was  off  Cumberland  Head, 
hugging  the  Grand  Isle  shore. 


226  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

ANOTHER   ELEMENT  IN  THE  CONTEST. 

"~\TTHERE  are  we  now,  Dory?"  asked  Pep- 
*  ^  pers,  appearing  at  the  aperture  in  the 
door,  at  which  he  had  not  been  seen  for  the  last 
half  hour,  though  his  voice  was  heard  in  consulta- 
tion with  Moody. 

"Off  Cumberland  Head,  and  close  to  Grand 
Isle,"  replied  Dory. 

"  Is  there  any  thing  in  sight,  Dory  ?  "  continued 
Peppers. 

"  There  is  a  steamer  coming  towards  the  Head. 
I  saw  her  above  Valcour's  Island  two  hours  ago ; 
and  she  has  been  in  at  Plattsburgh  since  that," 
answered  Dory. 

"  Do  you  know  what  steamer  it  is  ?  " 

"  I  am  not  sure :  she  has  not  been  within  two 
miles  of  us." 

"  I  can  tell  you  all  about  her,"  interposed  Pearl 
Hawlinshed  with  his  frequent  chuckle.  "Why 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  227 

don't  you  apply  at  the  captain's  office  when  you 
want  any  information  ?  " 

"  I  don't  think  I  can  depend  upon  your  infor- 
mation," added  Peppers. 

"  I  think  you  can.  The  steamer  is  the  Sylph," 
added  Pearl. 

"  I  thought  it  was  the  Sylph,"  said  Dory. 

"She  is  the  fastest  boat  of  her  inches  on  the 
lake,"  continued  the  skipper.  "She  has  run  by 
any  of  the  big  steamers,  except  the  Vermont, 
which  is  good  for  eighteen  miles  an  hour." 

Dory  had  seen  the  steamer  before,  and  he  never 
saw  her  without  having  sad  thoughts.  He  always 
kept  away  from  her  if  she  happened  to  be  in  any 
port  where  he  was.  But  she  was  a  beautiful  craft, 
and  her  ordinary  rate  of  sailing  was  twelve  miles 
an  hour ;  and  it  was  said  that  she  was  good  for 
two  or  three  miles  more  if  her  owner  would  only 
"let  her  out." 

"  I  don't  think  there  is  any  comfort  in  her  for 
you,"  chuckled  Pearl.  "She  is  a  private  yacht, 
belonging  to  Captain  Gildrock ;  and  he  don't  go 
out  of  his  way  to  assist  poor  and  distressed  fellow- 
creatures  like  you." 

"  How  far  off  is  she,  Dory  ?  "  asked  the  officer. 


228  ALL  ADRIFT;    OR, 

"  She  is  half  way  across  Cumberland  Bay ;  and 
I  should  think  she  was  four  miles  off,  or  there- 
abouts," answered  Dory. 

"  Just  about  four :  that  was  a  good  guess,  Dory 
Dora  wood,"  added  the  skipper. 

"  Can't  you  hail  her  if  she  conies  near  us  ? " 
suggested  Peppers. 

"  No,  he  can't !  "  exclaimed  Pearl  sharply.  « It 
would  be  cruel  of  you  to  ask  him  to  do  such  a 
thing;  for  as  sure  as  he  makes  a  sign  to  that 
steamer,  or  to  any  other  craft,  I  will  throw  him 
overboard,  with  his  hands  tied  behind  him." 

"  It  would  be  cruel  of  you  to  do  such  a  thing, 
Hawlinshed." 

"  I  know  it  would,  and  I  shall  not  do  it  unless 
you  compel  me  to  act  in  self-defence." 

"  Where  is  this  thing  to  end  ?  "  demanded  Pep- 
pers in  a  disgusted  tone  of  voice. 

"Somewhere  up  in  Canada,  I  guess,"  replied 
Pearl.  "  I  don't  believe  it  will  end  before  we  get 
there,  and  I  think  we  shall  be  over  the  line  some 
time  to-night." 

"  Then  you  intend  to  take  us  into  Canada, 
Hawlinshed  ?  " 

"  Yes :  unless  we  can  make  some  better  arrange- 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  229 

ment.  If  you  prefer  to  land  at  some  point  on 
Grand  Island,  I  think  we  could  fix  it  so  as  to 
accommodate  you." 

"How  can  we  fix  it?"  asked  Peppers  rather 
anxiously. 

"I  have  been  thinking  the  matter  over,  and 
I  believe  I  have  a  plan  by  which  I  might  safely 
oblige  you,"  said  Pearl.  "  I  have  concluded  not 
to  go  back  to  Plattsburgh :  in  fact,  I  don't  believe 
I  should  be  comfortable  and  happy  there." 

"  I  don't  believe  you  would,"  added  the  officer 
significantly.  "We  should  be  apt  to  make  it 
warm  for  you." 

"Why  so,  Peppers?  You  and  I  have  always 
been  good  friends,  and  we  never  quarrelled.  Why 
should  we  now  ?  " 

"  We  shouldn't,  and  I  don't  intend  to  quarrel 
with  yoif.  But  in  my  private  opinion  you  will 
spend  the  greater  part  of  the  rest  of  your  days 
within  the  stone  walls." 

"I  don't  intend  to  do  any  thing  of  the  sort; 
and  I  don't  believe  I  shall,  if  I  only  take  good 
care  of  you  while  I  have  you  as  a  passenger." 

"But  how  can  we  fix  this  matter?"  inquired 
the  officer. 


230  ALL  ADRIFT;  OK, 

"  If  you  will  put  your  hands  behind  you,  and 
then  put  them  out  through  that  hole  you  have 
made,  I  will  fasten  them  together,  as  I  have  Dory 
Dornwood's.  I  will  do  the  same  with  your  room- 
mate ;  and  then  I  will  land  all  three  of  you  at 
Wilcox  Cove,  or  some  other  good  place.  How 
does  this  plan  strike  you?" 

"It  don't  strike  me  at  all,"  protested  Dory. 
"  I  won't  agree  to  it." 

"But,  my  dear* little  Bantam,  I  didn't  ask  you 
to  agree  to  it.  Your  hands  are  already  tied  be- 
hind you;  and,  when  I  have  done  with  you,  I 
shall  throw  you  overboard,  if  that  happens  to  be 
the  most  convenient  way  to  get  rid  of  you.  I  was 
speaking  to  Mr.  Peppers,  whose  hands  are  not  yet 
tied  behind  him;  and  you  should  not  interrupt 
the  conversation  of  those  who  are  older  and  wiser 
than  you  are." 

"I  don't  agree  to  the  plan.  We  will  turn  in 
and  go  to  sleep,  and  you  can  take  us  where  you 
please;  but  you  will  find  in  the  end  that  this 
world  isn't  big  enough  to  hide  you  from  me," 
replied  Peppers. 

"Just  as  you  please,  Peppers.  We  shall  not 
quarrel  about  a  little  matter  like  this.  I  suppose 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  231 

you  came  over  after  me.  Allow  me  to  suggest 
that  you  haven't  stated  the  nature  of  your  busi- 
ness with  me,"  continued  Pearl  gayly  in  appear- 
ance, though  Dory  could  see  that  he  did  not  feel 
half  so  chipper  as  he  talked. 

"I  think  I  won't  talk  any  more  at  present," 
replied  Peppers.  "I  can  wait  till  we  see  this 
thing  through." 

"You  won't  have  to  wait  many  hours,"  an- 
swered the  skipper,  as  he  looked  astern  to  see 
if  any  craft  was  coming  near  the  Goldwing. 

Dory  was  certain  that  the  skipper  was  disgusted 
with  the  decision  of  the  officer,  and  that  he  was 
very  anxious  to  get  rid  of  his  troublesome  pas- 
sengers. But  the  owner  of  the  boat  was  delighted 
with  the  conduct  of  the  detective.  He  had  been 
afraid  that  he  would  compromise  with  the  villain, 
and  that  he  should  lose  his  boat,  or  at  least  be 
deprived  of  the  use  of  her  for  a  long  time. 

"  Where  is  the  Sylph  now  ? "  asked  the  officer 
half  an  hour  later. 

"  She  is  not  more  than  a  mile  astern  of  us," 
replied  Dory. 

"  Is  she  coming  near  us  ? " 

"  She  is  headed  directly  for  us." 


232  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

"  And  where  is  this  boat  ?  "  continued  Peppers. 

"  We  are  approaching  Long  Point,  and  are 
within  half  a  mile  of  it.  We  are  inside  of  Sister 
Islands,  and  the  Sylph  seems  to  be  taking  the 
same  course.  She  acts  just  as  though  she  was  fol- 
lowing us,"  said  Dory,  who  had  been  watching 
the  progress  of  the  beautiful  steam-yacht  ever 
since  she  first  came  in  sight. 

"  She  does  act  as  though  she  was  following  us, 
don't  she,  Dory  Dornwood  ?  "  added  Pearl  Hawlin- 
shed. 

"  I  have  no  doubt  she  is  following  us,"  replied 
Dory. 

"  Do  you  know  of  any  reason  why  she  should 
follow  us?"  asked  the  skipper,  trying  to  conceal 
his  anxiety. 

"  I  don't,"  answered  Dory. 

"Do  you  know  her  owner,  Dory?"  inquired 
Pearl. 

Dory  hesitated.  It  was  a  disagreeable  topic  to 
him,  and  he  would  gladly  have  avoided  it.  It 
was  plain  enough  that  the  Sylph  was  following 
the  Goldwing,  but  Dory  could  think  of  no  reason 
why  she  should  do  so. 

"  Do  you  know  Captain  Gildrock,  her  owner  ?  " 


THE  GOLDWINQ   CLUB.  233 

asked  Pearl  again,  and  with  more  energy  than 
before. 

"  I  do  know  him :  he  is  my  uncle,"  replied 
Dory,  who  could  see  no  reason  why  he  should 
conceal  the  disagreeable  truth  —  for  it  was  disa- 
greeable to  him — from  the  skipper. 

"Your  uncle!"  exclaimed  Pearl,  apparently 
startled  at  the  reply.  "Do  you  mean  to  say 
that  Captain  Gildrock  is  your  uncle,  you  young 
cub?" 

"  I  mean  to  say  it,  and  I  do  say  it." 

But  Dory  wished  with  all  his  might  that  the 
captain  was  not  his  uncle,  or  any  other  relation. 

"  He  is  one  of  the  richest  men  in  this  part  of 
the  country,"  added  Pearl,  looking  astern  at  the 
elegant  steam-yacht. 

"  I  know  it ;  but  I  don't  have  any  thing  to  do 
with  him,  and  I  don't  think  he  is  coming  after 
this  boat  on  my  account,"  added  Dory. 

"  I  suppose  you  will  be  glad  to  get  on  board  of 
her,"  suggested  Pearl,  who  had  now  become  quite 
nervous  in  spite  of  his  fine  philosophy. 

"No,  I  shouldn't.  I  was  never  on  board  of 
the  Sylph  in  my  life ;  and  I  shall  not  go  on  board 
of  her  if  I  can  help  it,"  answered  Dory. 


234  ALL   ADRIFT;    OR, 

"  You  and  your  uncle  don't  seem  to  be  on  the 
best  of  terms,"  continued  Pearl,  as  he  headed  the 
boat  to  the  eastward,  after  passing  Long  Point. 

The  skipper  ran  the  Gold  wing  close  to  the 
point.  The  Sylph  was  within  bailing-distance  of 
her  at  this  time;  but  the  steamer  had  to  go  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  or  more  to  the  northward  of 
the  point  in  order  to  find  water  enough  for  her 
greater  draught.  In  this  way  Pearl  gained  half 
a  mile  or  more  upon  her.  This  enabled  him  to 
run  the  distance  to  the  Gut,  which  is  the  strait, 
or  channel,  between  North  Hero  and  South 
Hero,  or  Grand  Isle.  It  was  about  half  a  mile 
wide,  between  Bow-Arrow  Point  and  Tromp's 
Point;  though  there  is  only  a  narrow  channel, 
between  a  red  and  a  black  buoy,  for  vessels  that 
drew  over  five  feet  of  water  at  the  lowest  stage 
of  the  lake. 

Pearl  headed  the  Goldwing  to  the  southward 
of  the  buoys.  The  Sylph  was  almost  up  with 
the  schooner  again;  and,  if  the  latter  had  gone 
between  the  buoys,  the  steamer  would  have  over- 
hauled her  before  she  reached  them.  The  skipper 
became  more  and  more  nervous.  It  was  clear  to 
Dory  that  Pearl  was  not  familiar  with  the  naviga- 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  235 

tion  of  this  difficult  place;  for  he  frequently 
looked  over  the  side  of  the  boat  into  the  water, 
doubtless  to  see  how  deep  it  was. 

"  How  deep  is  the  water  ahead,  Dory  Dorn- 
wood  ?  "  asked  the  skipper,  when  he  seemed  to 
be  bewildered,  and  evidently  expected  the  boat 
to  take  the  bottom  every  moment. 

"  If  you  are  going  to  sail  the  boat,  you  must  do 
it  alone,"  replied  Dory  after  a  little  hesitation. 
"  I  won't  do  any  thing  to  help  you  as  things  are 
now." 

"Gold wing,  ahoy!"  shouted  some  one  with  a 
gruff  voice  in  the  forward  part  of  the  Sylph. 

But  the  steam-yacht  had  stopped  her  propeller, 
and  immediately  began  to  back.  Her  pilot  knew 
how  deep  the  water  was  on  the  shoal.  Pearl 
made  no  reply  to  the  hail,  and  the  schooner  con- 
tinued on  her  course.  Off  Tromp's  Point  she 
struck  her  centre-board;  but,  as  she  was  going 
before  the  wind,  she  did  not  need  it,  and  Pearl 
hauled  it  up  so  that  the  boat  slid  over  the  shallow 
place. 

The  man  with  the  gruff  voice  hailed  the  boat 
again ;  but  the  skipper  did  not  respond.  Pearl 
hauled  hi  his  sheets,  and  headed  the  boat  to  the 


236  ALL  ADRIFT;    OR, 

north-west.  The  steamer  then  went  through  the 
channel. 

"  I  will  play  your  game  upon  him,  Dory  Dorn- 
wood,"  said  Pearl,  as  he  put  the  boat  about. 

The  Sylph  stopped  her  propeller  again. 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  237 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE  GAME  AMONG  THE  .SHALLOWS. 

E  Sylph  was  bothered  by  the  last  movement 
of  the  Goldwing.  No  one  knew  what  she 
wanted ;  but  she  had  demonstrated  that  she  was 
after  the  schooner,  and  had  business  with  her. 
Pearl  seemed  to  be  delighted  with  the  success  of 
his  manoeuvre.  He  had  to  drop  the  centre-board, 
and  beat  back.  He  gave  the  point  a  wide  berth 
in  standing  to  the  north-west. 

"  We  can  keep  her  going  back  and  forth  through 
the  channel  till  night,"  said  Pearl  in  high  glee. 
"  This  is  really  exciting  business,  and  I  enjoy  it 
more  than  I  should  a  game  of  cards.  I  am  much 
obliged  to  you,  Dory  Dornwood,  for  showing  me 
this  little  trick." 

Dory  said  nothing;  for  he  saw  that  the  game 
was'  not  the  same  that  he  had  played  early  in  the 
morning.  There  was  an  element  in  the  contest 
which  had  not  entered  into  that  between  the  Gold- 


238  ALL  ADRIFT;    OB, 

wing  and  the  Missisquoi ;  and  he  thought  Pearl 
was  very  stupid  not  to  see  it.  He  did  not  point  it 
out,  or  even  hint  at  it.  He  hoped  and  expected 
that  the  interference  of  the  Sylph  would  restore 
the  schooner  to  him;  and  that  was  all  he  cared 
for,  though  he  was  quite  willing  that  Peppers 
should  capture  and  take  his  prisoner  to  Platts- 
burgh. 

The  steam-yacht  started  her  screw  again,  and 
went  ahead.  In  the  Gut  she  came  about,  and 
passed  between  the  buoys  again.  The  schooner 
was  almost  up  with  the  red  buoy  when  the  Sylph 
passed  it,  and  again  the  man  with  the  gruff  voice 
hailed  the  boat.  At  this  moment  Pearl  tacked, 
and  stood  to  the  south-west. 

"  I  guess  she  will  get  tired  of  this  game  before 
a  great  while,"  said  Pearl,  elated  with  the  suc- 
cess of  his  movements.  "  She  had  better  give  it 
up,  and  go  about  her  business." 

When  the  Sylph  had  passed  the  buoys,  she  put 
her  head  to  the  south,  and  ran  down  close  to  the 
shoal-water.  Pearl  was  so  delighted  that  he  was 
becoming  reckless,  and  he  held  on  to  his  course 
until  he  came  within  a  hundred  feet  of  the 
steamer.  Once  more  she  hailed  the  boat. 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  239 

"Is  Theodore  Dornwood  on  board  of  that 
boat  ?  "  shouted  the  man  with  the  gruff  voice. 

"  If  you  answer,  Dory  Dornwood,  I'll  pitch  you 
overboard !  "  exclaimed  the  skipper  savagely. 

Dory  did  not  answer:  he  had  no  intention  of 
doing  so  before  Pearl  used  his  threatening  expres- 
sion. He  was  not  on  the  best  of  terms  with  his 
uncle ;  and  he  did  not  care  to  have  any  thing  to 
do  with  him,  or  even  to  say  to  him. 

There  seemed  to  be  a  dozen  persons  on  board 
of  the  Sylph.  But  she  was  a  large  craft  for  a 
steam-yacht,  and  doubtless  some  of  them  were  the 
guests  of  the  owner. 

"  That  will  do  nicely,"  said  Pearl,  as  he  came 
about,  and  let  off  his  sheets  again.  "  The  steamer 
has  my  permission  to  go  through  the  channel  again. 
This  is  better  than  a  game  of  checkers." 

To  Dory  it  was  getting  rather  monotonous. 
But  he  did  not  believe  that  the  people  on  board 
of  the  Sylph  would  be  willing  to  play  at  this  game 
much  longer.  The  man  with  the  gruff  voice  had 
indicated  in  his  tones,  the  last  time  he  hailed  the 
boat,  that  he  was  becoming  impatient  at  the  fail- 
ure of  the  Goldwing  to  answer  him. 

Dory  felt   like   one  who   stands   between  two 


240  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

fires,  and  he  was  sure  to  be  hit  by  one  of  them. 
He  was  in  the  frying-pan  now,  and  he  did  not  at 
all  like  the  idea  of  being  compelled  to  jump  into 
the  fire  by  the  Sylph.  He  did  not  like  his  uncle, 
her  owner ;  and  he  did  not  care  to  be  redeemed 
from  his  present  unpleasant  position  by  him. 

It  was  bad  enough  to  remain  in  the  power  of 
Pearl  Hawlinshed,  and  to  be  subject  to  his  caprice ; 
but  it  seemed  worse  to  be  taken  out  of  his  hands 
by  Captain  Gildrock.  If  Pearl  had  not  been  a 
villain,  in  the  very  act  of  breaking  the  laws  and 
committing  an  outrage  upon  him  and  the  two  pas- 
sengers in  the  cabin,  he  would  have  been  willing 
to  assist  him  in  keeping  out  of  the  way  of  the 
Sylph.  He  thought  he  knew  just  how  this  could 
be  done ;  but,  as  he  could  not  do  any  thing  to  help 
the  rascal,  he  said  nothing.  He  could  not  get 
himself  out  of  the  frying-pan,  but  he  meant  to 
keep  out  of  the  fire  if  he  could. 

"  She  is  coming  about,"  said  Pearl,  as  the  Sylph 
began  to  stir  up  the  water  again  with  her  pro- 
peller. "  She  is  going  through  the  channel  again 
to  head  off  the  Goldwing.  I  hope  she  will  have  a 
good  time  doing  this  thing." 

Dory  made  no  reply  to  this  remark  ;  but  he  felt 


THE  GOLD  WING   CLUB.  241 

that  the  end  of  the  adventure  was  rapidly  ap- 
proaching. Captain  Gildrock  was  not  a  man  to 
be  triflad  with,  or  one  to  be  balked  by  a  sailboat 
like  the  schooner.  The  Sylph  went  through  the 
Western  Cut  again.  Pearl  had  run  almost  up  to 
the  red  buoy,  and  was  near  it  when  the  steam- 
yacht  passed  through. 

The  skipper  of  the  Goldwing  started  his  sheets, 
and  stood  off  in  the  shoal-water,  where  the  steamer 
could  not  follow  him.  He  chuckled  as  he  did  so ; 
and  he  did  not  appear  to  harbor  a  suspicion  that 
his  pursuer  could  do  any  thing  but  run  back  and 
forth  through  the  cut. 

"  I  think  I  shall  take  my  passengers  into  Canada 
in  spite  of  the  opposition  of  that  big  steam-yacht. 
A  mouse  or  a  mosquito  can  make  it  uncomfortable 
for  a  lion,"  said  Pearl,  as  he  stood  off  from  his 
pursuer.  "  Do  you  know  how  the  water  is  in  this 
bay  beyond  the  next  point,  Dory  Dornwood  ?  "  and 
the  skipper  indicated  Simms's  Point  with  his  hand. 

"  I  do,"  replied  Dory. 

"  Well,  how  is  the  water?" 

"  It  is  wet,"  answered  Dory. 

"  Is  that  so  ?  How  did  you  find  it  out  ? " 
asked  Pearl. 


242  ALL  ADRIFT;  OB, 

"  I  felt  of  it  one  day." 

"  If  you  don't  keep  a  civil  tongue  in  your  head, 
you  will  feel  of  it  again  to-day,"  added  Pearl 
savagely. 

Dory  knew  there  was  a  half  mile  of  shoal  water, 
deep  enough  for  the  Goldwing,  but  not  for  the 
Sylph.  But  it  was  shallow  off  the  point;  and 
Dory  thought  the  skipper  would  get  aground 
before  he  reached  Hyde's  Bay.  But  the  water 
was  clear,  and  Pearl  saw  the  bottom  in  season  to 
avoid  the  danger.  He  stood  to  the  southward 
then,  watching  the  bottom  all  the  time. 

Dory  saw  that  the  skipper  was  making  the  worst. 
possible  move  for  his  own  case,  and  he  was  rejoiced 
to  see  him  do  it.  The  Sylph  continued  farther  into 
the  Gut,  and  finally  stopped  her  screw  half  a  mile 
east  of  Simms's  Point. 

"  All  right !  "  exclaimed  Pearl,  who  had  half  a 
mile  of  shoal  water  between  the  steamer  and  the 
shore  on  either  side  of  her.  "  I  couldn't  have  put 
her  in  a  better  place  myself." 

The  skipper  looked  about  him  anxiously,  as 
though  he  was  in  doubt  whether  to  go  to  the  east 
or  the  west.  But  he  had  been  around  the  two 
points  west  of  him,  and  he  seemed  to  think  that 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  243 

his  safest  way  was  to  stick  to  the  ground  with 
which  he  had  become  acquainted.  The  schooner 
was  half  a  mile  from  Simms's  Point  by  this  time ; 
but  Pearl  evidently  thought  that  all  he  had  to  do 
was  to  return  to  the  westward  of  the  buoys  by  the 
way  he  had  come  into  the  Gut,  and  the  Sylph 
could  not  come  near  his  boat.  He  came  about, 
and  stood  to  the  north-west. 

"  We  are  all  right  still,  Dory  Dornwood,"  said 
Pearl,  as  he  glanced  at  the  steamer.  "  She  can't 
come  any  nearer  to  us  than  she  is  now,  and  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  is  as  good  as  a  mile." 

Dory  kept  his  eye  on  the  Sylph.  The  moment 
she  stopped  her  screw,  there  was  a  lively  movement 
on  board  of  her.  Orders  were  given  in  quick  and 
sharp  tones ;  and  presently  her  two  quarter-boats, 
which  were  swung  on  davits,  were  dropping  into 
the  water.  This  was  what  Dory  had  expected  her 
to  do  before  this  time. 

"  What  is  she  doing,  Dory  Dornwood  ? "  asked 
Pearl,  when  he  discovered  that  something  was 
going  on  upon  the  deck  of  the  steamer. 

"  She  is  doing  the  next  thing,"  answered  Dory, 
who  was  determined  not  to  give  the  enemy  any 
comfort. 


244  ALL  ADRIFT;  OB, 

"  What  is  she  about  ?  "  demanded  the  skipper. 

"  You  have  a  pair  of  eyes,  and  you  know  how 
to  use  them." 

By  this  time  the  boats  began  to  drop  into  the 
water.  They  were  lowered  from  the  davits  with 
the  oarsmen  on  the  thwarts,  and  an  officer  in  the 
stern-sheets.  Pearl  could  not  help  seeing  what  the 
steamer  was  doing  now.  He  looked  troubled,  and 
he  used  some  needless  profanity  in  an  under  tone. 

"What  is  going  on  now,  Dory?"  asked  Pep- 
pers, who  could  not  see  the  steamer  through  the 
aperture  in  the  door. 

"  The  steamer  is  getting  out  her  boats,"  replied 
Dory.  "She  has  just  dropped  one  from  each 
quarter  into  the  water." 

"  Four  boats !  "  exclaimed  Peppers. 

"  No,"  answered  Dory,  laughing  in  spite  of  his 
situation.  "  I  didn't  say  four  boats." 

"You  said  one  from  each  quarter;  and  there 
are  four  quarters  in  any  thing,  according  to  my 
arithmetic,"  added  the  officer. 

"A  vessel  has  but  two  quarters,  and  she  has 
dropped  two  boats  into  the  water.  There  are  five 
men  in  each  of  them,"  continued  Dory. 

"That  will  do!     Dry  up,  and  shut  up,  all  of 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  245 

you!"  interposed  Pearl.  "I  am  going  to  fight 
this  thing  out  to  the  end,  and  I  don't  want  any 
more  talk." 

The  Gold  wing  was  in  behind  the  land,  so  that 
she  did  not  feel  the  full  force  of  the  wind.  The 
lake  was  calm  and  smooth  behind  the  point,  and 
the  boat  moved  very  sluggishly.  Pearl  began  to 
be  very  impatient ;  but  a  short  distance  ahead  the 
surface  was  ruffled,  and  she  would  soon  have  a 
better  breeze. 

The  starboard  quarter-boat  pulled  towards 
Simms's  Point,  and  the  port  boat  in  the  opposite 
direction.  Whichever  way  the  schooner  went,  she 
was  sure  to  be  intercepted  by  one  or  the  other  of 
them.  The  oarsmen  of  the  boats  appeared  to  be 
all  young  fellows.  They  were  dressed  in  a  blue 
uniform ;  and  all  of  them  wore  white  linen  caps, 
without  visors.  The  officers  showed  a  profusion 
of  brass  buttons  on  their  frock-coats,  and  wore 
yacht-caps  of  white  linen. 

The  boats  were  white,  and  were  very  graceful 
in  their  build.  The  four  rowers  in  each  boat 
pulled  a  man-of-war  stroke.  The  starboard  quar- 
ter-boat was  ahead  of  the  Goldwing;  and  the 
officer  in  charge  of  her  was  urging  his  men  to  their 


246  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR,     • 

best  exertions,  so  as  to  come  in  ahead  of  the 
schooner.  Before  the  Goldwing  could  reach  the 
point,  she  was  in  position  to  intercept  her. 

Pearl  scowled  when  he  saw  the  boat  directly  in 
his  course.  He  looked  back,  and  saw  the  other 
boat  beyond  the  steamer.  He  could  not  help 
realizing  that  the  pleasant  game  he  had  been 
playing  had  ended  in  his  being  beaten. 

"  Goldwing,  ahoy  I  "  shouted  the  officer  in 
charge  of  the  starboard  quarter-boat. 

"In  the  boat!"  replied  Pearl  in  a  surly  tone: 
"what  do  you  want?" 

"  Is  Theodore  Dornwood  on  board  of  your 
boat?"  asked  the  officer. 

"Yes,  he  is,"  answered  Pearl.  "If  you  want 
him,  you  can  have  him." 

At  this  moment  the  skipper  threw  the  Gold- 
wing  up  into  the  wind,  and  sprang  forward  to  the 
place  where  Dory  was  seated.  Without  saying  a 
word,  he  dragged  him  off  the  seat,  and  proceeded 
to  remove  the  cord  that  bound  his  hands  behind 
him.  The  prisoner's  wrists  were  numb  from  the 
pressure  of  the  line,  and  he  stood  up  to  rub  a 
little  life  into  them.  Pearl  put  the  boat  about, 
and  headed  her  for  the  shore. 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  247 


CHAPTER  XXHI. 

HEADED  OFF  ON  BOTH  SIDES. 

"IT "TOLD  on  there!     What  are  you  about?" 

-*-*•  shouted  the  officer,  as  the  Goldwing  filled 
away  on  the  starboard  tack.  "We  want  to  see 
Theodore  Dornwood." 

"  I  can't  sail  dead  to  windward,"  replied  Pearl. 

"You  needn't  sail  at  all,"  replied  the  officer. 
"  Captain  Gildrock  wished  to  see  Dornwood  on  a 
matter  of  the  utmost  importance :  it  is  a  case  of 
life  and  death." 

Dory  was  startled  by  these  words.  What  could 
his  uncle  want  of  him?  If  anybody  was  dead, 
who  was  it  ?  It  might  be  his  mother.  His  blood 
seemed  to  freeze  in  his  veins  as  he  thought  of  the 
possibility  of  such  a  terrible  event.  He  sprang 
upon  the  seat,  and  hailed  the  boat  at  once. 

"Is  my  mother  dead?"  shouted  he;  and  the 
agony  of  his  tone  was  borne  across  the  water  with 
his  words. 


248  ALL  ADRIFT;    OR, 

"No:  your  mother  is  not  dead.  She  is  quite 
well,"  replied  the  officer,  who  could  not  but  have 
been  impressed  by  the  despairing  tone  in  which 
the  question  was  put  to  him ;  and  he  had  not  lost 
an  instant  in  relieving  the  anxiety  of  the  inquirer. 

Dory  dropped  down  upon  the  seat  again.  His 
mother  was  not  sick  or  dead.  The  current  of  life 
began  to  flow  through  his  veins  again.  A  terrible 
load  was  removed  from  his  mind  almost  as  soon 
as  laid  upon  it.  He  even  began  to  think  that  the 
officer  was  playing  a  trick  upon  him  to  get  him  to 
see  the  captain  of  the  steamer,  whom  he  had  so 
carefully  avoided. 

"  Give  way,  my  lads ! "  shouted  the  officer  of 
the  boat,  as  soon  as  he  had  answered  Dory's  ques- 
tion. "I  want  Theodore  Dornwood.  Will  you 
give  him  up  ?  " 

This  question  was  addressed  to  the  skipper  of 
the  schooner,  which  was  not  more  than  a  hundred 
feet  from  the  boat. 

"  Yes,  with  the  greatest  pleasure,"  replied  Pearl. 
"  I  will  put  him  ashore  in  here,  and  you  can  take 
him  on  board. 

Dory  heard  this  reply  with  astonishment  and 
indignation.  Pearl  intended  to  put  him  ashore, 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  249 

and  then  allow  the  boat  from  the  steam-yacht  to 
pick  him  up.  If  he  could  keep  the  boat  from 
coming  alongside,  and  thus  prevent  the  officer 
from  ascertaining  the  condition  of  things  on  board 
of  the  Goldwing,  the  Sylph  would  trouble  him  no 
more.  If  the  business  on  which  she  came  after 
Dory  was  a  matter  of  life  and  death,  Captain 
Gildrock  would  not  be  likely  to  molest  him  after 
he  had  accomplished  his  mission. 

The  Goldwing  was  now  within  a  hundred  yards 
of  the  shore.  Through  an  opening  in  the  land 
she  was  getting  a  better  breeze,  and  was  making 
at  least  four  miles  an  hour.  Dory  saw  that  some- 
thing must  be  done  very  soon.  He  had  been  re- 
leased from  his  imprisonment  so  that  the  owner 
of  the  steamer  should  not  see  that  he  was  in 
trouble.  The  boat  from  the  steamer  was  not 
hurrying ;  for  the  officer  seemed  to  be  satisfied 
with  the  arrangement  Pearl  had  proposed,  to  put 
the  boy  ashore. 

When  the  steamer's  port  boat  saw  that  the 
schooner  was  cornered,  she  began  to  pull  towards 
the  scene  of  action.  It  had  gone  but  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  vessel  before  she  changed  her 
course ;  but  she  still  kept  in  position  to  head  off 


250  ALL  ADRIFT  ;    OR, 

the  schooner  if  she  attempted  to  escape  to  the 
eastward. 

"Get  ready  to  go  ashore,  Dory  Dornwood," 
said  Pearl  in  one  of  his  mild  tones. 

Dory  made  no  reply.  He  was  fully  resolved 
not  to  do  any  thing  of  the  sort.  If  he  went  on 
shore,  and  submitted  to  the  villain's  plan  to  escape 
from  his  pursuers,  he  could  hardly  expect  ever  to 
see  the  Goldwing  again.  But  he  considered  it 
the  safest  way  to  say  nothing  about  the  purpose 
in  his  mind. 

"You  will  tell  the  captain  of  the  Sylph  the 
state  of  things  on  board  of  this  boat,  Dory,"  said 
Peppers,  who  had  no  objection  to  the  plan ;  for  he 
thought  Captain  Gildrock  would  make  a  business 
of  liberating  him  and  his  companion  in  the  cuddy 
as  soon  as  he  was  informed  of  their  condition. 

"  Tell  him  any  thing  you  like,  Dory  Dornwood, 
as  soon  as  you  get  on  board  of  the  steamer,"  added 
,  Pearl.  "  Are  you  ready  to  go  on  shore  ?  " 

"  If  I  must  go  on  shore,  I  suppose  I  must,"  re- 
plied Dory  in  a  non-committal  way.  "  What  is 
to  become  of  my  boat  if  I  go  ashore  ?  " 

"You  can  have  her  again  when  I  have  done 
with  her,"  answered  Pearl  in  a  coaxing  tone ;  for, 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  251 

if  he  could  get  rid  of  his  pursuers,  he  cared  for 
nothing  else  just  then. 

"Where  shall  I  be  likely  to  find  her?"  asked 
Dory  in  a  tone  which  indicated  his  incredu- 
lity. 

"  You  will  find  her  in  Missisquoi  Bay,  on  the 
northern  shore,  Dory ;  and  she  will  be  in  as  good 
condition  as  she  is  now." 

"  Perhaps  I  shall  find  her  there,"  added  Dory. 

"  I  will "  —  But,  before  Pearl  could  say  what 
he  would  do,  the  centre-board  of  the  boat  dragged 
in  the  sand  on  the  bottom. 

The  skipper  hastened  to  raise  it,  but  a  few 
moments  later  it  struck  again.  Pearl  hoisted  it 
up  as  far  as  he  could,  and  then  kept  the  schooner 
away  a  few  points ;  for  she  would  no  longer  lie  up 
to  the  wind  as  closely  as  before.  In  this  way  he 
succeeded  in  getting  the  boat  within  about  a  hun- 
dred feet  of  the  shore,  and  then  the  Gold  wing 
grounded  on  her  bottom. 

The  water  was  not  more  than  three  feet  deep  at 
the  stem  of  the  boat,  and  it  was  impossible  to  get 
her  any  nearer  to  the  dry  land  on  the  beach. 
Pearl  bit  his  lip ;  for  both  of  the  boats  of  the  Sylph 
were  pulling  towards  the  schooner,  and  Peppers 


252  ALL    ADRIFT;    OR, 

would  soon  have  an  audience  to  whom  he  could 
tell  his  story. 

"  I  can't  get  any  nearer  the  shore,  Dory,"  said 
Pearl,  not  a  little  agitated.  "You  must  jump 
into  the  water,  and  wade  ashore." 

Dory  leaped  upon  the  forward  deck,  and  Pearl 
probably  thought  he  intended  to  adopt  his  sug- 
gestion, and  wade  to  the  beach.  But  the  owner 
of  the  Goldwing  had  no  intention  of  "  giving  up 
the  ship"  in  any  such  manner.  The  sails  hid 
Dory  from  the  skipper,  so  that  he  could  not  see 
what  he  was  doing ;  and,  while  Pearl  was  waiting 
to  hear  the  splash  when  he  went  overboard,  Dory 
grasped  one  of  the  stays,  and  climbed  half  way  to 
the  mast-head  before  his  persecutor  discovered 
what  he  was  about. 

"What  are  you  doing  up  there?"  demanded 
Pearl  fiercely.  "  What  are  you  about  ?  " 

"I  want  to  see  how  far  off  the  shore  is," 
replied  Dory,  for  the  want  of  something  more 
sensible  to  say. 

"  Come  down  this  instant,  you  young  villain  I " 
yelled  Pearl,  whose  hope  of  saving  himself  was 
thus  endangered  by  the  unexpected  freak  of  the 
owner  of  the  boat. 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  253 

"  I  think  I  can  make  myself  very  comfortable 
up  here  for  a  while,"  replied  Dory,  as  he  placed 
his  feet  on  the  foresail  gaff,  and  passed  his  arm 
around  the  topmast. 

"  If  you  don't  come  down,  I  will  shoot  you ! " 
stormed  Pearl  angrily,  as  he  saw  the  two  boats 
of  the  steamer  coming  nearer  to  him  every  mo- 
ment. 

Dory  had  the  average  aversion  to  being  shot, 
and  he  did  not  like  the  sound  of  the  threat.  He 
did  not  know  whether  or  not  Pearl  had  a  pistol, 
though  it  was  not  improbable  that  he  had  one. 
He  looked  at  the  approaching  boats.  One  of 
them  was  not  thirty  yards  from  the  schooner,  and 
the  officer  could  hardly  have  helped  hearing  the 
threat  of  the  skipper.  The  port  boat  had  come 
near  enough  by  this  time  to  enable  Dory  to  see 
that  his  uncle  was  in  the  stern-sheets. 

"  Give  way,  my  lads,  with  all  your  might ! " 
said  the  officer  of  the  nearer  boat,  speaking  with 
great  energy,  as  though  he  meant  to  take  a  hand 
in  the  business  on  board  of  the  Goldwing. 

"Are  you  coming  down,  Dory  Dornwood?" 
demanded  Pearl,  as  he  stopped  on  the  forward 
deck  of  the  schooner. 


254  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

"  I  think  I  will  come  down,"  replied  Dory,  who 
had  made  up  his  mind  not  to  run  the  risk  of 
being  shot ;  but  he  was  satisfied  that  one  of  the 
boats  would  be  alongside  the  Goldwing  before  he 
could  reach  the  deck.  "  But  it  isn't  so  easy  to 
get  down  as  it  was  to  come  up,"  he  added,  mak- 
ing it  as  an  excuse  for  the  slow  movement  in 
coming  down  to  the  deck.  Dory  descended  with 
the  utmost  caution.  He  had  gained  time  enough 
to  enable  the  starboard  boat  to  reach  the  schoon- 
er, and  this  was  all  he  expected  to  accomplish  by 
going  aloft. 

"Come,  hurry  up,  Dory!"  shouted  the  skip- 
per, when  he  was  about  half  way  to  the  deck. 

Dory  immediately  changed  his  movement,  and 
began  to  ascend  again. 

"  What  are  you  about,  you  young  cub  ?  Are 
you  going  back  again  ? "  cried  Pearl. 

"You  told  me  to  hurry  up,"  pleaded  Dory, 
wishing  to  gain  all  the  time  he  could. 

"  You  are  a  natural  fool !  Come  down,  or  I'll 
—  do  what  I  said  I  would,"  added  Pearl,  as  he 
glanced  at  the  nearer  boat,  which  was  not  fifty 
feet  from  the  schooner. 

"  All  right !  I  will  be  with  you  in  a  moment," 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  255 

answered  Dory,  as  he  descended  to  the  deck  with 
a  reasonable  degree  of  celerity. 

But  the  boat  was  alongside  the  Goldwing  as 
soon  as  he  reached  the  forward  deck.  The  officer 
leaped  on  deck  without  waiting  for  any  ceremony. 
Pearl  dropped  into  a  seat  in  the  forward  part 
of  the  standing-room.  He  evidently  realized  that 
he  had  lost  the  game  he  had  been  playing. 

"Which  is  Theodore  Dornwood?"  asked  the 
officer  as  he  came  on  board. 

"There  he  is,  on  the  forward  deck,"  replied 
Pearl.  "He  is  the  most  obstinate  young  cub 
that  ever  floated  on  Lake  Champlain.  You  can 
take  him  with  you  as  quick  as  you  please.  I 
don't  want  any  thing  more  of  him." 

"What  in  the  world  is  going  on  aboard  this 
boat  ?  "  asked  the  officer,  as  he  looked  from  Pearl 
to  Dory,  and  then  from  Dory  to  Pearl,  unable  to 
understand  the  appearance  of  things  on  board. 
"  What  have  you  got  cooped  up  in  that  cud- 
dy?" 

"  I  thought  you  wanted  Dory  Dornwood.  Why 
don't  you  take  him,  and  not  waste  any  more  of 
your  time  and  mine  ?  "  said  Pearl  impatiently. 

"  Captain  Gildrock  wants  to  see  you  very  much, 


256  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

Theodore,  and  there  is  a  place  in  my  boat  for 
you." 

"  I  don't  care  about  going  in  your  boat,  and  I 
shall  not  go  on  board  of  the  Sylph  if  I  can  help 
myself,"  replied  Dory  stoutly. 

"There  he  is  again!"  exclaimed  Pearl,  as  he 
glanced  at  the  boat  that  contained  Captain  Gild- 
rock.  "He  is  a  mule,  a  sulky  dog.  If  you 
want  him,  I  will  pitch  him  into  your  boat  for  you, 
and  make  an  end  of  this  business." 

Pearl  leaped  upon  the  forward  deck,  intent 
upon  putting  his  threat  into  execution.  But,  as 
he  went  up  on  the  starboard  side,  Dory  leaped 
down  into  the  standing-room  on  the  port  side. 
Pearl  followed  him,  and  seemed  to  have  a  hope, 
that,  if  he  could  drive  Dory  into  the  boat,  he 
might  get  rid  of  his  troublesome  visitors. 

"  Don't  you  meddle  with  the  boy,  officer,"  said 
Peppers  through  the  hole  in  the  door ;  "  and  don't 
you  let  that  man  meddle  with  him." 

"What  does  all  this  mean?  Why  are  you  in 
there  ?  Why  don't  you  come  out  ?  " 

Before  Peppers  could  explain,  the  port  boat 
came  alongside,  and  Captain  Gildrock  stepped  on 
board  the  Goldwing. 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  257 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THROUGH  VARIED  STRIFE  AND   STRUGGLES. 

CAPTAIN    ROYAL    GILDROCK    was    not 

^^  over  forty-five  years  of  age.  He  was  dressed 
in  the  uniform  of  his  yacht.  He  was  a  good- 
looking  man,  of  middling  height,  and  rather 
stout.  A  single  glance  at  his  face  would  have 
assured  any  one  skilled  in  reading  expressions 
that  he  was  a  person  of  great  force  of  character. 

"  What's  going  on  here,  Mr.  Jepson  ?  "  said  he, 
as  he  glanced  curiously  about  the  Goldwing. 

"  That  is  what  I  was  trying  to  find  out  when 
you  came  on  board,  sir,"  replied  Mr.  Jepson. 
"  Theodore  and  the  man  in  charge  of  the  boat 
appear  to  be  at  sword's  points,  and  there  are  two 
men  in  the  cuddy  who  seem  to  be  fastened  in 
there." 

"What  does  all  this  mean?"  asked  Captain 
Gildrock.  And  it  was  apparent  now  that  he  was 
the  owner  of  the  gruff  voice. 


258  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

"  I  will  tell  you  all  about  it,  sir,"  replied  Pep- 
pers, taking  this  duty  upon  himself. 

"  I  shall  be  glad  to  know,  for  the  skipper  of  the 
boat  has  behaved  in  the  most  unaccountable  man- 
ner." 

Dory  had  retreated  to  the  forward  deck  again 
when  his  uncle  came  on  board,  though  the  cap- 
tain did  not  seem  to  be  such  a  terrible  man  as 
one  might  have  supposed  from  the  conduct  of  his 
nephew.  He  desired  to  keep  as  far  as  possible 
from  his  uncle. 

"I  wish  you  would  let  me  out  of  this  place 
before  I  tell  the  story,"  suggested  the  detective. 

"  Why  don't  you  come  out  if  you  wish  to  do 
so  ?  "  asked  Captain  Gildrock. 

"  We  are  locked  in.  Hawlinshed  took  the  key 
away  from  Dory  Dornwood  by  force,  and  has 
kept  us  prisoners  ever  since.  It  isn't  a  bad  place ; 
but  it  is  rather  confined  for  a  long  stay,"  added 
Peppers. 

"  But  I  didn't  lock  them  in  there,"  added  Pearl. 
"  That  was  done  by  Dory." 

"  Have  you  the  key  ?  "  asked  the  captain,  turn- 
ing to  Pearl. 

"  If  you  want  your  nephew,  there  he  is,  Cap- 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  259 

tain  Gildrock,"  replied  Pearl,  pointing  to  the  for- 
ward deck.  "I  don't  think  you  have  any  right 
to  interfere  with  my  affairs.  I  will  put  Dory 
Dornwood  into  one  of  your  boats,  and  you  can 
take  him  away  with  you." 

"  All  I  want  is  my  nephew ;  and  I  don't  intend 
to  meddle  with  what  don't  concern  me,"  said  Cap- 
tain Gildrock. 

"  That's  the  sort  of  man  you  are ;  and  I  always 
knew  you  were  as  straightforward  as  a  gun," 
added  Pearl,  delighted  with  this  statement  of  the 
owner  of  the  steamer.  "  Which  boat  shall  I  put 
the  boy  into?" 

Pearl  sprang  upon  the  forward  deck,  and 
rushed  towards  Dory.  The  boy  did  not  take 
kindly  to  this  proceeding.  He  dodged  around  the 
foremast,  and  leaped  down  into  the  standing- 
room. 

"  Captain  Gildrock,  this  boat  belongs  to  Dory, 
and  Hawlinshed  has  taken  her  from  him  by 
force,"  interposed  the  detective. 

"My  nephew  stole  the  money  with  which  he 
bought  her,"  added  Captain  Gildrock.  "  I  don't 
think  he  owns  her  any  more  than  I  do." 

"You  are  mistaken,  sir.     I  don't  know  where 


260  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

your  nephew  got  the  money  with  which  he  bought 
this  boat,  but  the  charge  made  against  him  in 
Plattsburgh  is  not  a  true  bill.  I  came  over  here 
to  arrest  Hawlinshed,  and  that  is  the  reason  why 
I  am  a  prisoner  in  this  coop  at  this  mo- 
ment." 

"  You  have  no  right  to  arrest  me  in  the  State  of 
Vermont,"  protested  Pearl,  standing  on  the  for- 
ward deck.  "Captain  Gildrock,  this  is  a  con- 
spiracy. I  had  a  little  difficulty  with  my  father, 
and  this  is  a  trumped-up  charge  to  get  me  back  to 
Plattsburgh." 

This  was  an  entirely  new  presentation  of  the 
case,  and  Captain  Gildrock  was  confused  by  the 
differing  statements. 

"  I  am  not  disposed  to  interfere  in  this  business. 
I  came  for  my  nephew,  and  I  was  astonished  and 
surprised  to  hear  that  he  was  accused  of  robbery. 
All  I  want  is  my  nephew." 

"  If  you  are  willing  to  assist  a  robber  to  escape 
into  Canada,  Captain  Gildrock,  I  have  nothing 
further  to  say,"  said  Peppers.  "  If  you  take  your 
nephew  awa^,  and  leave  things  as  you  find  them, 
that  will  be  just  what  you  will  do." 

"  Of  course,  I  don't  mean  to  render  assistance 


THE  GOLDWING  CLTJB.  261 

to  any  fugitive  from  justice,"  replied  the  captain, 
more  perplexed  than  ever. 

"  If  you  will  let  us  out  of  this  place,  I  will  prove 
to  your  satisfaction  that  Hawlinshed  is  a  robber," 
added  the  detective. 

"And  I  can  prove  that  I  am  the  victim  of  a 
conspiracy,"  protested  Pearl.  "  I  can  prove  it  by 
Dory  Dornwood,  if  he  will  only  speak  the  truth, 
which  he  never  does,  except  by  accident." 

"  I  am  sorry  to  hear  such  bad  stories  about  my 
nephew,"  added  the  captain.  "  I  have  been  told 
that  he  was  wild,  and  was  going  to  ruin." 

"He  can't  deny  that  he  had  a  talk  with  my 
father,"  said  Pearl ;  "  and  my  father  and  I  don't 
agree  very  well." 

Dory  thought  they  didn't  agree  at  all,  but  he 
determined  not  to  say  a  word  on  the  forbidden 
topic.  He  had  made  up  his  mind  in  the  beginning 
not  to  go  on  board  of  the  Sylph,  and  the  present 
aspect  of  things  made  him  more  decided  than 
before.  If  his  uncle  and  Pearl  decided  that  he 
should  go  into  one  of  the  boats,  he  meant  to  jump 
into  the  water,  and  wade  to  the  shore. 

Captain  Gildrock  was  silent,  looking  from  the 
officer  in  the  cuddy  to  Pearl.  He  was  consider- 


262  ALL  ADEIFT;    OB, 

ing  what  he  should  do.  Peppers  thought  it  was  a 
plain  case.  He  desired  the  visitor  to  act  for  him- 
self, after  he  had  looked  the  case  over,  and  listened 
to  the  facts. 

"  I  think  I  will  hear  what  you  have  to  say,  offi- 
cer," said  he,  after  a  few  moments'  reflection. 
"It  is  none  of  my  business;  but  I  want  my 
nephew,  though  I  don't  like  to  do  any  wrong  in 
taking  him  away.  The  only  way  I  can  do  to 
leave  things  as  I  find  them  is  to  let  my  nephew 
remain;  and  I  can't  do  that  under  the  present 
circumstances.  Mr.  Hawlinshed,  will  you  unlock 
those  doors  ?  " 

"  No,  sir :  I  will  not !  "  replied  Pearl  haughtily. 
"  You  are  interfering  with  my  affairs,  and  giving 
me  away  to  my  enemies.  If  you  want  your 
nephew,  I  will  help  you  get  him  on  board  of  the 
Sylph  ;  but  you  have  no  business  to  let  those  men 
out  when  they  want  to  cut  my  throat." 

"  I  only  purpose  to  look  into  this  matter ;  and, 
when  I  have  done  so,  I  shall  act  as  I  think  my 
duty  requires  of  me." 

"That  man  is  not  an  officer  in  the  State  of 
Vermont ;  and  he  has  no  right  to  arrest  me  here," 
added  Pearl. 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  263 

"  I  don't  deal  in  quibbles,  Mr.  Hawlinshed.  All 
I  want  to  know  now  is,  who  has  the  right  in  the 
present  situation  ?  If  I  can  ascertain  the  truth  on 
this  point,  I  don't  care  a  straw  whether  we  are  in 
the  State  of  Vermont  or  the  State  of  New  York. 
Will  you  open  the  doors  of  that  cuddy  ?  " 

"No,  sir:  1  will  not!  And  I  will  not  allow 
anybody  else  to  interfere  with  my  affairs,"  an- 
swered Pearl  angrily. 

"  I  am  going  to  open  those  doors,"  added  Cap- 
tain Gildrock  decidedly. 

"I  don't  believe  you  will,"  said  Pearl,  as  he 
took  the  key  of  the  padlock  from  his  pocket. 

He  held  it  up  so  that  the  captain  could  see  it, 
and  then  jerked  it  into  the  lake.  It  struck  the 
water  about  fifty  feet  from  the  boat.  The  next 
instant  Dory  dropped  into  the  water,  and  waded 
in  the  direction  the  villain  had  thrown  it.  He 
had  kept  his  eye  on  the  spot  where  it  had  fallen ; 
and  the  water  was  so  clear  that  he  could  see  the 
grains  of  sand  on  the  bottom. 

Pearl  saw  that  his  purpose  was  likely  to  be 
defeated  by  the  prompt  action  of  the  boy;  and, 
before  any  one  could  stop  him,  he  had  leaped  into 
the  water  after  Dory. 


264  ALL   ADRIFT;    OB, 

"  That  man  will  drown  your  nephew  if  you  let 
him  do  it,  Captain  Gildrock ! "  exclaimed  Pep- 
pers, as  he  saw  Pearl  leap  into  the  water. 

But  the  captain  had  no  intention  of  being  a 
passive  observer  of  what  was  about  to  transpire 
in  the  water;  for  he  leaped  into  his  boat,  and 
ordered  his  crew  to  back  her.  In  an  instant  they 
were  pulling  with  all  their  might ;  and  the  boat 
had  nearly  run  over  Pearl  before  the  captain  gave 
the  order,  "  Way  enough ! " 

"  Lay  hold  of  that  man,"  said  the  captain  to 
the  two  men  who  pulled  the  bow  oars. 

The  young  fellows  unshipped  their  oars,  and 
grabbed  Pearl  with  no  tender  grasp.  They  threw 
him  down,  and  then  dragged  him  into  the  boat. 

"  Hold  on  to  him,  my  lads ! "  added  the  captain. 
"  Don't  let  him  go." 

Pearl  struggled  for  his  liberty ;  but  the  two 
young  fellows  jammed  him  down  in  the  bottom 
of  the  boat,  and  held  him  there  in  spite  of  his 
efforts  to  shake  them  off. 

44  This  is  an  outrage,  Captain  Gildrock  ! " 
gasped  Pearl,  out  of  breath  from  the  violence 
of  his  exertions.  "  I  did  not  think  this  of  you ! 
I  have  always  heard  you  spoken  of  as  a  fair 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  265 

man ;  but  you  interfere  with  my  business,  and 
hand  me  over  to  my  enemies !  " 

"  Your  enemies,  as  you  call  them,  are  willing 
to  have  the  truth,  whatever  it  is,  shown  out ;  but 
you  are  not,"  replied  Captain  Gildrock.  "  If  the 
officer  in  the  cuddy  don't  make  out  a  case  against 
you,  I  shall  not  meddle  with  you ;  and  you  can 
go  to  Canada,  or  wherever  else  you  please.  Give 
way,"  he  added  to  the  two  after  oarsmen. 

The  two  men  pulled  the  boat,  and  the  captain 
steered  it  to  the  spot  where  Dory  was  looking  for 
the  key.  He  had  taken  no  notice  of  what  had 
been  transpiring  behind  him,  but  had  kept  his 
eyes  fixed  on  the  spot  where  he  had  seen  the  key 
drop  into  the  water.  After  a  few  minutes'  search 
he  saw  it  lying  on  the  sand,  and  picked  it  up.  By 
this  time  the  boat  had  come  up  to  him ;  but  he 
paid  no  attention  to  it,  and  began  to  wade  back 
to  the  schooner. 

"  Come  into  the  boat,  Theodore,"  said  Captain 
Gildrock. 

"  No,  I  thank  you,  sir :  I  will  wade  back  to  the 
Goldwing.  It  won't  take  me  but  a  moment." 

The  captain  thought  the  boy  behaved  very 
strangely,  as  he  had  ever  since  the  boats  from  the 


266  ALL  ADRIFT;    OB, 

Sylph  had  come  alongside  the  schooner.  But  he 
permitted  his  nephew  to  have  his  own  way,  and 
Dory  soon  climbed  over  the  side  of  the  boat  into 
the  standing-room.  Taking  the  key  from  his  pock- 
et, he  unlocked  the  padlock,  and  threw  the  doors 
open.  Peppers  and  Moody  crawled  out  of  their 
prison,  and  stretched  their  limbs;  for  they  were 
rather  stiff  after  being  kept  so  long  in  one  posi- 
tion. 

By  the  time  Captain  Gildrock's  boat  came  along 
side,  the  two  prisoners  were  at  liberty.  The  two 
bow  oarsmen  were  told  to  let  their  captive  up. 
Pearl  could  not  have  been  more  wrathy  if  he  had 
tried.  The  pleasant  game  over  which  he  had 
rubbed  his  hands  so  felicitously  had  gone  against 
him.  He  knew  that  Peppers  would  get  the  best 
of  him  in  the  argument,  and  he  had  lost  all  hope. 
He  regarded  Dory  as  the  cause  of  all  his  mis- 
fortunes; and,  as  soon  as  he  was  released,  he 
sprang  into  the  standing-room  of  the  schooner, 
and  rushed  upon  him. 

Very  likely  it  would  have  gone  hard  with  poor 
Dory,  if  Moody  and  Peppers  had  not  seen  what 
the  villain  intended.  Both  of  them  dropped  upon 
him,  and  bore  him  to  the  floor.  He  struggled 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  267 

desperately,  but  foolishly;  for  he  had  no  chance 
whatever  against  Moody,  who  was  a  powerful 
man. 

While  the  maker  of   tomato-wine   held    him, 
Peppers  put  the  irons  on  his  wrists. 


268  ALL    ADRIFT  ;    OR, 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

WIND   SOUTH-SOUTH-WEST,   BLOWING  FRESH. 

"  T  THINK  we  have  him  now  where  we  want 

L  him,"  said  Peppers,  after  Moody,  under  his 
direction,  had  tied  the  prisoner,  with  the  rope  that 
had  bound  Dory,  to  the  side  of  the  boat. 

Pearl  Hawlinshed  was  panting  from  his  effort 
to  escape.  He  made  no  reply  to  the  remark  of 
the  detective.  He  felt  that  he  had  lost  the  battle, 
and  any  further  resistance  would  be  useless. 

"  I  am  ready  to  hear  any  thing  you  have  to  say, 
officer,"  said  Captain  Gildrock,  as  he  stepped  into 
the  standing-room  from  his  boat.  "  If  you  haven't 
any  case,  I  shall  simply  put  things  where  I  found 
them,  with  the  exception  of  taking  my  nephew  on 
board  of  the  Sylph." 

Dory  had  his  doubts  about  this ;  for  he  was  as 
determined  as  ever  not  to  put  himself  into  his 
uncle's  hands.  He  had  a  sore  grudge  against  him, 
and  he  did  not  want  to  have  any  thing  to  do  with 


THE  GOLD  WING  CLUB.          269 

him.  He  had  no  doubt  that  the  captain  would 
decide  against  Pearl,  for  he  knew  enough  of  the 
case  to  understand  that  it  was  a  good  one.  He 
was  already  considering  in  what  manner  he  should 
get  away  from  his  uncle  after  the  robbery  ques- 
tion had  been  settled.  He  was  likely  to  have  a 
chance  yet  to  use  his  skill  and  ingenuity  in  get- 
ting away  from  the  Sylph. 

"  I  am  entirely  willing  to  have  you  do  what  you 
think  is  right  after  you  have  heard  the  facts  in 
the  case,"  replied  Peppers. 

"Have  you  arrested  my  nephew  for  robbery, 
stealing,  or  any  other  crime  ?  "  asked  the  captain, 
glancing  at  Dory,  who  had  retreated  to  the  for- 
ward deck ;  for  he  wished  to  be  in  a  situation  for 
action  when  he  felt  that  it  was  required  of  him. 

"  No,  sir :  I  have  not,  and  he  has  not  been  ar- 
rested. But  I  will  tell  you  the  whole  story,  and 
you  will  see  in  what  manner  Dory  is  connected 
with  the  robbery,"  answered  the  detective. 

Peppers  narrated  all  that  had  occurred  at  the 
hotel  in  Plattsburgh,  giving  all  the  details  that 
were  known  in  regard  to  the  robbery  of  Moody's 
room.  He  added  to  it  the  particulars  of  the  two 
days'  chase  of  the  Missisquoi  after  the  Goldwing, 


270  ALL  ADRIFT;    OB, 

with  the  landlord's  statement  in  regard  to  Dory's 
supposed  connection  with  the  robbery. 

"  Then  Theodore  was  charged  with  the  rob- 
bery?" asked  Captain  Gildrock. 

"  By  Hawlinshed,  he  was ;  but  that  was  to 
cover  up  his  own  tracks.  As  soon  as  the  land- 
lord told  me  that  Pearl  accused  your  nephew  of 
the  crime,  declaring  that  he  had  bought  this  boat 
with  the  money  he  stole  from  the  room,  I  got  an 
idea,"  continued  the  detective.  "  I  found  Moody, 
and  he  frankly  told  the  facts.  He  will  excuse  me  ; 
but  he  makes  temperance  wine,  though  he  drinks 
whiskey  himself." 

"  I  don't  believe  I  shall  ever  drink  any  more," 
interposed  Moody.  "  I  have  been  in  the  habit  of 
drinking  considerable  whiskey  when  I  went  to 
Plattsburgh :  and,  after  I  had  done  my  business,  I 
felt  pretty  good ;  for  I  had  sold  two  hundred  dol- 
lars' worth  of  my  goods,  and  I  felt  like  celebrating 
the  event  with  a  little  tear.  But  I  was  afraid 
that  I  might  lose  my  money;  and  I  put  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  dollars  of  it  in  my  bag,  keeping  the 
rest  in  my  pocket.  I  guess  that  scoundrel  saw 
me  put  it  there." 

"  It  was  not  till  after  the  Missisquoi  had  gone  off 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  271 

on  her  cruise  that  Moody  told  me  he  had  marked 
his  money  with  the  rubber  stamp,"  continued 
Peppers.  "  Then  the  landlord  told  me  that  Dory 
had  taken  the  money,  and  had  been  seen  about 
the  hall,  near  the  room.  He  had  bought  and 
paid  for  the  boat  that  morning,  and  I  went  to  the 
auctioneer.  I  wanted  to  see  the  money  the  boy 
had  paid.  It  was  five  ten-dollar  bills;  and  that 
settled  it  that  Dory  had  not  paid  for  the  boat  with 
the  money  taken  from  Moody's  room." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  that,"  added  Captain  'Gild- 
rock. 

Dory  had  thought  he  would  be  sorry  to  hear  it ; 
but  there  was  a  bad  misunderstanding  between 
him  and  his  uncle. 

"When  Dory  came  back,  he  showed  me  the 
money  he  had,  about  sixty  dollars,"  continued 
Peppers. 

"  Sixty  dollars,  besides  what  he  had  paid  for  the 
boat  ?  "  queried  the  captain. 

"  That  is  what  he  had ;  but  he  got  eight  dollars 
back  from  the  auctioneer,"  replied  the  officer. 

"That  makes  over  a  hundred  dollars,"  said 
Captain  Gildrock,  knitting  his  brow  as  though  he 
did  not  like  the  looks  of  this  fact.  "  Where  did 


272  ALL  ADRIFT  ;    OR, 

he  get  so  much  money,  if  he  did  not  steal 
it?" 

"  That's  the  question,  Captain  Gildrock,"  inter- 
posed Pearl,  who  spoke  for  the  first  time  since 
the  narrative  was  begun.  "When  you  have 
looked  into  the  matter,  you  will  find  that  he  stole 
it." 

"  I  don't  know  where  he  got  it,"  Peppers  pro- 
ceeded. "That  is  none  of  my  business.  All  I 
know  is,  that  none  of  the  money  found  upon 
Dory,  and  none  that  he  had  paid  out,  was  the 
bills  Moody  lost." 

"  But  have  you  no  idea  where  my  nephew  got 
so  much  money  ?  "  asked  the  captain. 

"I  have  not  the  remotest  idea,  Captain  Gild- 
rock.  It  don't  concern  me  to  know,  and  I  make 
it  a  rule  to  mind  my  own  business.  But  I  did 
find  some  of  Moody's  money  in  Plattsburgh. 
One  five  with  the  stamp  on  it  was  paid  for  a 
pistol,  and  the  other  for  the  provisions  taken  on 
board  of  the  Missisquoi.  Both  of  them  came 
from  Hawlinshed." 

"  It  is  a  lie  !  "  exclaimed  Pearl  with  an  oath. 

"  Both  of  the  shopkeepers  are  ready  to  swear 
to  the  identity  of  their  man.  Now,  I  shall  take 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  273 

the  liberty  to  do  what  I  have  not  had  an  oppor- 
tunity to  do  before.  I  shall  search  the  prisoner. 
Before  I  do  it  I  should  like  to  have  you  look  at 
these  two  bills,  Captain  Gildrock.  They  are  the 
fives  paid  for  the  pistol  and  the  provisions  by  Haw- 
linshed."  And  Peppers  handed  him  the  bank-notes. 

"It  will  be  an  easy  matter  to  identify  these 
bills.  In  addition  to  the  stamp  on  them,  this  is 
the  first  time  they  have  ever  been  out  of  the 
bank,"  said  the  captain,  after  he  had  looked  at 
the  bills. 

Pearl  was  furious  when  the  officer,  assisted  by 
Moody,  attempted  to  search  him.  Moody  handled 
him  very  roughly,  and  he  was  forced  to  submit 
to  the  operation.  Peppers  took  from  a  pocket 
inside  of  his  vest  a  wallet,  which  was  found  to 
contain  quite  a  roll  of  new  bills.  The  detective 
spread  a  couple  of  them  out  on  the  top  of  the 
centre-board  casing.  The  red  stamp  appeared 
upon  them,  and  they  were  exactly  like  those  in 
the  hands  of  the  captain. 

"  It  is  a  plain  case,  and  I  have  nothing  more  to 
say,"  said  Captain  Gildrock.  "You  have  made 
out  your  case,  and  I  shall  not  interfere  with  your 
taking  your  prisoner  to  Plattsburgh." 


274  ALL  ADRIFT;    OR, 

"I  knew  you  would  be  satisfied  when  you 
heard  the  case,"  added  Peppers,  as  he  put  the 
money  he  had  taken  from  Pearl  into  his  pocket- 
book,  and  returned  it  to  his  pocket. 

"  I  am  entirely  satisfied,  Mr.  Peppers,"  replied 
Captain  Gildrock,  glancing  at  the  sky,  and  giving 
a  general  survey  to  the  horizon  to  the  southward. 
"  I  see  the  wind  is  hauling  to  the  southward,  and 
it  looks  like  bad  weather." 

"  I  noticed  that  it  was  calm  a  little  while  ago," 
answered  Peppers.  "  Do  you  think  we  shall  have 
a  storm,  sir  ?  " 

"  We  shall  have  a  good  deal  of  wind,  and  some 
rain  before  many  hours,  if  not  before  dark.  I 
have  to  go  in  at  Plattsburgh  on  my  way  south ; 
and,  if  you  choose,  you  can  take  your  prisoner  on 
board  of  the  Sylph,"  continued  the  captain. 

"Thank  you,  sir:  I  should  be  very  glad  to 
return  in  your  beautiful  yacht,  especially  if  it  is 
going  to  blow,"  answered  the  detective. 

"You  may  take  them  on  board  in  your  boat, 
Mr.  Jepson.  I  will  take  Mr.  Moody  in  mine," 
said  Captain  Gildrock.  "  Theodore,  you  will  go 
in  my  boat." 

Dory  made   no   reply  to   this  intimation.     He 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  275 

was  looking  over  Simms's  Point  out  into  the  lake, 
where  a  fresh  south-south-west  wind  was  now 
rolling  up  the  white-caps.  The  captain  seated  him- 
self in  the  stern-sheets  of  the  port  boat.  Moody 
assisted  the  officer  in  placing  his  prisoner  in  the 
starboard  boat,  and  took  his  place  with  Captain 
Gildrock.  Pearl,  though  very  sulky  and  even 
ugly,  offered  no  serious  resistance  to  the  transfer 
to  the  boat.  With  his  arms  handcuffed  behind 
him,  he  took  the  seat  in  which  Mr.  Jepson  placed 
him. 

The  starboard  boat,  having  received  her  com- 
plement of  passengers,  shoved  off;  and  her  crew 
pulled  for  the  steamer.  The  port  boat  was  wait- 
ing for  Dory,  who  was  standing  at  the  bow,  be- 
hind the  foresail.  He  had  the  boat-hook  in  his 
hand,  but  he  did  not  indicate  in  what  manner  he 
intended  to  use  it.  The  fresh  breeze  was  begin- 
ning to  blow  in  the  Gut,  though  the  Goldwing 
was  sheltered  from  its  full  force  by  the  land. 

"  I  am  waiting  for  you,  Theodore,"  called  Cap- 
tain Gildrock. 

"  I  am  not  going,  sir,"  replied  Dory  in  a  mild, 
but  very  decided,  tone. 

"Not  going?    Didn't  you  hear  me  say  that  I 


276  ALL  ADRIFT;  OB, 

came  down  here  after  you?"  asked  the  captain, 
evidently  much  surprised  at  the  boy's  answer. 

"  I  can't  leave  the  boat  here,  sir.  It  is  coming 
on  to  blow,  and  she  will  drift  off,"  added  Dory, 
struggling  to  suppress  his  emotion ;  for  he  ex- 
pected a  very  unpleasant  scene  with  his  uncle  now 
that  the  issue  had  been  reached. 

Captain  Gildrock  seemed  to  have  no  suspicion 
of  the  state  of  feeling  to  which  his  nephew  had 
wrought  himself  up.  He  appeared  to  think  that 
his  invitation  to  go  on  board  of  the  Sylph  was 
enough,  and  the  present  attitude  of  the  boy  was 
clearly  a  surprise  to  him.  It  was  plain  that  he 
had  not  thought  of  the  schooner,  for  he  was  silent 
when  Dory  intimated  that  she  was  not  in  a  safe 
position  for  heavy  weather. 

"You  can  furl  her  sails,  and  throw  over  her 
anchor,"  said  he  after  a  moment's  consideration. 

"I  don't  think  the  anchor  will  hold  her,  sir: 
the  sand  is  as  hard  as  a  rock  here." 

"  Isn't  she  aground  ?  " 

"  She  was  aground,  sir." 

"  I  will  run  the  boat  ahead,  and  we  will  drag 
her  farther  up  on  the  shoal,  and  carry  the  anchor 
to  the  shore.  Then  she  will  be  all  right ;  and  you 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  277 

can  come  up  after  her  in  a  few  days,"  continued 
Captain  Gildrock,  as  he  directed  his  bowman  to 
shove  off  from  the  Goldwing. 

The  sails  of  the  schooner  were  beginning  to 
thrash  and  bang  about  as  they  felt  the  increasing 
breeze.  The  boat  had  been  aground  at  the  bow ; 
but,  the  moment  she  was  relieved  of  the  weight  of 
the  three  men  who  had  been  on  board  of  her  when 
she  grounded,  she  floated  again.  Dory  had  noticed 
this  fact ;  and,  taking  the  boat-hook,  he  had  thrust 
it  down  into  the  sand,  and  held  her.  As  the  wind 
freshened,  driving  her  off  from  the  shore,  his  hold 
was  not  strong  enough  upon  the  bottom  to  keep 
her  any  longer.  But  it  must  be  added  that  Dory 
did  not  wish  to  hold  her  any  longer. 

The  moment  the  boat-hook  tore  out  of  the  bot- 
tom, the  schooner  began  to  make  sternway.  Then 
the  jib,  the  sheet  of  which  was  still  fast,  filled, 
and  the  Goldwing  whirled  around  like  a  top.  Then 
a  gust  of  wind  struck  the  sails,  and  threw  them 
all  over.  Dory  rushed  to  the  helm,  trimmed  the 
sails,  and  headed  the  Goldwing  across  the  bay. 


278  ALL  ADRIFT;    OR, 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

DORY  DORNWOOD  MANOEUVRES  TO  ESCAPE. 

"  "TTTHAT  are  you  about,  Theodore  ?  "  shouted 
*  Captain  Gildrock,  as  the  Goldwing  shot 
away,  heeled  down  to  her  gunwale  under  the  blast 
of  the  strong  wind.  "  Come  about,  and  run  her 
on  the  beach." 

Dory  took  no  notice  of  this  direction,  but 
grasped  the  tiller  with  all  his  might;  and  with 
the  short  stick  it  was  all  he  could  do  to  hold  her. 
He  dropped  the  centre-board,  and  stood  to  the 
eastward,  evidently  to  avoid  the  steam-yacht, 
which  was  now  giving  an  occasional  turn  to  her 
screw  to  avoid  being  driven  out  into  the  Gut.  The 
starboard  quarter-boat  had  just  put  the  detective 
and  his  prisoner  on  board  of  her. 

Captain  Gildrock  had  put  the  other  boat  about ; 
and  the  four  oarsmen  were  straining  their  muscles, 
pulling  in  the  direction  the  schooner  had  taken. 
Mr.  Jepson  saw  what  was  going  on ;  and,  as  soon 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  279 

as  he  had  disposed  of  his  passengers,  he  started 
his  boat  to  the  eastward,  with  the  intention  of  cut- 
ting off  the  Goldwing  as  she  came  out  of  the 
bay. 

The  sky  was  obscured  by  piles  of  angry-looking 
clouds,  and  every  thing  looked  like  a  southerly 
storm.  The  sun  was  now  not  more  than  half  an 
hour  high,  but  there  would  be  about  an  hour  more 
of  daylight.  The  Goldwing  was  making  at  least 
eight  miles  an  hour,  and  Dory  was  satisfied  that 
Captain  Gildrock's  boat  could  not  overtake  him. 
He  had  headed  it  to  the  north-east,  so  as  to  take 
the  shortest  course ;  for  the  Goldwing  must  soon 
go  to  the  north,  or  she  would  run  ashore. 

As  soon  as  Dory  noticed  the  change  in  the 
course  of  his  uncle's  boat,  he  began  to  haul  in 
his  sheets;  for  he  saw  that  he  was  giving  the 
boat  the  advantage  of  him,  though  it  was  not 
likely  to  gain  enough  to  enable  it  to  overhaul  the 
schooner.  The  port  boat  was  the  only  one  from 
which  he  expected  any  interference.  The  skipper 
measured  the  distances  very  carefully  with  his 
eye.  He  calculated  that  he  had  to  make  half  a 
mile  to  reach  the  point  where  the  starboard  boat 
would  intercept  him,  if  at  all.  Mr.  Jepson's 


280  ALL  ADRIFT  ;    OR, 

boat  had  to  get  over  at  least  three-quarters  of  this 
distance. 

Dory  thought  his  chances  were  very  good.  At 
any  rate,  he  determined  to  keep  on  his  present 
course  until  he  found  himself  mistaken.  The 
Goldwing  was  tearing  through  the  water  at  a 
tremendous  rate.  Since  his  passengers  left  her, 
she  was  trimmed  down  at  the  stern  too  much ; 
but  this  did  not  interfere  with  her  speed  while 
she  had  a  free  wind. 

The  tiller  was  a  great  strain  upon  him,  and  it 
took  all  his  strength  to  prevent  the  boat  from 
coming  up  into  the  wind.  There  was  certainly 
nothing  like  a  lee  helm  in  her  present  condition. 
As  the  wind  increased  in  force  the  farther  out  he 
went  from  the  sheltering  shore,  he  was  afraid  he 
should  not  be  able  to  hold  her  up  to  her  course. 
If  he  let  her  broach  to,  and  spilled  the  sails,  he 
must  certainly  lose  the  race. 

Taking  the  end  of  the  sheet,  which  was  consid- 
erably longer  than  was  required,  he  took  a  turn 
with  it  around  the  end  of  the  tiller.  In  this 
manner  he  was  able  to  take  the  strain  off  his 
muscles  in  holding  the  boat ;  but  at  every  gust 
of  wind  he  had  to  put  his  helm  up,  and  then  let 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  281 

it  off.  He  wanted  the  long  tiller,  but  he  could 
not  leave  the  helm  for  a  moment  to  get  it. 

The  Goldwing  occasionally  dipped  up  the  water 
over  her  lee  wash-board ;  and,  when  she  did  this, 
it  was  necessary  to  "  touch  her  up,"  or  let  her  eat 
into  the  wind,  as  she  would  do  if  left  to  herself. 
The  skipper  was  doing  some  bold  and  risky  sail- 
ing, but  he  was  determined  to  keep  out  of  his 
uncle's  hands  if  it  were  possible.  He  watched 
the  starboard  boat  with  the  most  intense  interest. 
He  had  made  up  his  mind  that  he  had  little  to 
fear  from  her,  even  if  she  reached  the  point  where 
the  two  courses  of  the  boats  met. 

If  Mr.  Jepson  put  his  boat  in  the  course  of  the 
schooner,  Dory  did  not  see  how  he  could  help 
running  over  her.  The  collision  would  smash 
the  quarter-boat,  for  it  would  strike  her  on  the 
beam;  while  the  schooner  was  not  likely  to  be 
greatly  harmed.  She  would  strike  with  her  bow, 
where  she  was  least  liable  to  injury. 

As  Dory  continued  on  his  course,  he  was  satis- 
fied that  he  was  greatly  outsailing  the  boat  from 
which  he  expected  trouble,  if  he  had  any.  The 
water  was  getting  rough,  which  impeded  the  speed 
of  the  quarter-boat,  while  it  did  not  diminish 


282  ALL  ADRIFT;    OB, 

"that  of  the  schooner.  Five  minutes  later  he  was 
sure  Mr.  Jepson's  boat  would  fall  astern  of  him. 
He  was  confident  of  it,  but  he  did  not  relax  his 
care.  The  officer  was  urging  his  crew  to  increased 
exertions,  but  the  oarsmen  were  evidently  doing 
all  they  could. 

The  two  craft  were  rapidly  approaching  each 
other.  Dory  realized  that  he  should  not  have 
more  than  a  boat's  length  to  spare,  but  that  was 
as  good  as  a  mile.  He  tried  to  keep  cool,  as  his 
father  had  often  told  him  he  must  do  when  there 
was  any  danger  in  a  boat.  His  heart  was  in  his 
mouth,  and  he  tried  in  vain  to  swallow  it ;  but  it 
seemed  to  be  too  big  for  his  throat. 

"  Hold  on,  Theodore  I  "  shouted  Mr.  Jepson, 
when  the  two  boats  came  within  twenty  feet  of 
each  other.  "Your  uncle  wants  you,  and  he 
won't  do  you  any  harm." 

Dory  kept  his  eyes  on  the  sails  of  the  Gold- 
wing,  and  made  no  reply.  He  was  not  afraid  that 
his  uncle  would  hurt  him.  If  this  had  been  all, 
he  would  not  have  run  away  from  him,  —  at  least 
not  before  the  danger  menaced  him. 

"  Hold  on,  Theodore ! "  repeated  the  officer  of 
the  starboard  boat. 


THE  GOLDWING  CLTJB.  283 

But  Dory  hauled  the  tiller  up,  and  kept  the 
sails  full,  though  sundry  buckets  of  water  poured 
over  the  wash-board  into  the  standing-room  at 
this  moment.  The  Goldwing  dashed  madly  on  her 
course,  and  the  skipper  did  not  even  ease  her  off 
at  this  most  exciting  moment  of  the  chase. 

"  Hold  on !  You  will  surely  upset  that  boat," 
cried  Mr.  Jepson,  who  was  no  doubt  greatly  con- 
cerned about  the  fate  of  the  boy  who  was  doing 
this  reckless  sailing. 

The  moment  of  doubt  on  the  part  of  the  skip- 
per had  passed.  The  stern  of  the  schooner  was 
abreast  of  the  bow  of  the  quarter-boat,  and  her 
mission  was  a  failure.  Dory  had  cleared  both  of 
the  boats ;  and  now  he  had  to  contend  with  the 
steamer,  if  with  any  thing.  She  could  follow  him 
in  perfect  safety  wherever  he  went.  He  could 
not  outsail  her ;  and,  if  he  accomplished  any  thing 
more,  he  must  get  out  of  her  way  before  she 
could  pick  up  her  boats,  and  get  under  way  again. 

The  Sylph  could  not  run  into  the  shoal  water 
where  the  boats  were ;  and  the  crews  would  have 
to  pull  back  to  her  against  the  strong  wind,  which 
amounted  to  half  a  gale.  It  was  not  more  than 
half  as  bad  as  it  was  the  day  he  crossed  the  lake 


284  ALL   ADRIFT;    OR, 

with  a  reefed  mainsail,  and  the  bonnet  off  the  jib ; 
but  then  he  was  not  on  the  open  lake,  where  he 
could  get  the  full  benefit  of  all  that  was  blowing. 

Dory  did  not  wait  to  see  how  long  it  would  take 
for  the  steam-yacht  to  pick  up  her  boats,  or  to  see 
what  she  was  going  to  do  next.  He  held  on  his 
course  to  the  north-east ;  and  ten  minutes  more, 
at  his  present  rate  of  speed,  would  take  him 
through  Eastern  Cut  into  the  eastern  arm  of  the 
lake.  He  went  to  the  southward  and  eastward  of 
the  red  buoy.  After  he  had  passed  it,  he  stole  a 
glance  at  the  Sylph.  Her  boats  were  close  aboard 
of  her,  but  she  had  not  yet  hoisted  them  up  to  the 
davits.  When  he  had  made  his  next  mile,  and 
the  Goldwing  was  off  Ladd's  Point,  he  could  not 
see  her.  He  was  confident  that  he  was  two  miles 
ahead  of  her. 

The  schooner  was  under  the  lee  of  the  Point ; 
and  Dory  decided  that  he  must,  at  all  hazards, 
trim  the  boat,  and  get  out  the  long  tiller.  The 
fifty-sixes  which  had  been  moved  had  not  been 
put  under  the  floor,  and  he  got  them  ready  for  a 
hasty  change  of  position.  At  a  favorable  moment 
he  dropped  the  tiller  into  the  comb  well  up,  and 
rushed  forward  with  one  of  the  weights.  He  put 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  285 

it  in  its  proper  place,  and  then  attended  to  the 
helm  until  the  boat  was  again  in  condition  to  take 
care  of  herself  for  a  moment. 

By  watching  his  opportunities,  he  conveyed 
the  rest  of  the  surplus  ballast  forward;  and  the 
schooner  was  again  in  good  trim.  With  no  little 
difficulty  he  removed  the  short  tiller,  and  inserted 
the  long  one  in  its  place  in  the  rudder-head. 
Though  he  still  used  the  tiller-rope  he  had 
brought  into  service,  it  was  comparatively  easy 
to  steer  the  boat.  He  could  now  work  her  quicker 
than  before,  and  more  effectually  counteract  the 
sharp  gusts  of  wind. 

The  Gold  wing  was  now  out  of  the  Gut ;  and 
this  arm  of  the  lake,  near  the  channel,  between 
the  two  great  islands,  was  from  three  to  five  miles 
wide.  But  she  was  now  under  the  lee  of  the  west 
shore,  and  she  would  not  get  the  full  strength  of 
the  blast  until  she  had  gone  about  two  miles 
farther. 

By  this  time  Dory  had  fully  made  up  his  mind 
what  to  do.  His  programme  for  avoiding  the 
Sylph  was  made  out.  His  natural  pride  would 
not  permit  him  to  fall  into  his  uncle's  hands  if  it 
was  possible,  even  at  no  little  risk,  to  avoid  such 


286  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

a  catastrophe.  He  had  ceased  to  wonder  what  his 
uncle  wanted  of  him.  Captain  Gildrock  had 
heard  bad  stories  about  him,  and  he  seemed  to  be 
prepared  to  believe  them  all.  He  thought  it 
probable  that  his  uncle  had  heard  of  his  discharge 
from  the  steamer,  and  very  likely  he  had  found  a 
place  for  him.  But  he  did  not  want  his  uncle  to 
assist  him.  This  was  all  he  could  surmise  in 
regard  to  the  present  chase. 

To  the  eastward  of  the  Gut  was  St.  Alban's 
Bay,  which  extended  about  three  miles  into  the 
land,  on  the  Vermont  side  of  the  lake.  At  the 
northerly  entrance  to  this  bay  were  three  islands. 
Potter's  Island,  the  largest  of  them,  was  over  a 
mile  in  length.  South-west  of  it,  and  about  half 
a  mile  distant,  was  Ball  Island.  This  island  was 
three  miles  from  Ladd's  Point,  off  which  the  Gold- 
wing  was  running  with  the  wind  on  her  beam. 

Dory  had  decided  to  run  across  the  lake  in  the 
direction  of  Ball  Island.  He  intended  to  bring 
into  use  the  tactics  which  had  enabled  him  to 
beat  the  Missisquoi,  though  he  did  not  expect  her 
pilot  to  run  her  aground  in  any  attempt  to  follow 
the  schooner  into  shoal  water.  As  well  as  he 
could  estimate  the  speed  of  the  Goldwing,  she 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  287 

could  make  two  miles  to  tne  steamer's  three.  He 
had  two  miles  the  start  of  her.  When  he  reached 
Ball  Island  the  steamer  would  be  half  a  mile 
behind  him. 

Between  Potter's  and  Ball  Island  the  water 
was  shoal,  and  the  bottom  rocky.  At  the  ordi- 
nary stage  of  the  water,  it  was  from  eight  to  thir- 
teen feet  deep ;  but  now  it  was  only  from  two  to 
seven  feet  deep.  The  Sylph  would  not  dare  to 
go  through  the  opening,  while  Dory  was  sure  of 
seven  feet  near  the  larger  island.  He  had  his 
plan  arranged  for  another  movement  after  this 
one ;  but  he  desired  to  see  how  the  first  scheme 
worked  before  he  gave  much  consideration  to  a 
second. 

Beyond  these  islands  the  wind  had  a  rake  of 
five  miles,  and  the  roughest  water  and  the  heavi- 
est wind  must  be  met  after  he  had  passed  them. 
He  was  not  sure  that  the  Goldwing  could  stand 
it.  Before  he  was  half  way  across  the  lake  he 
found  she  had  all  she  could  stand  under.  But  he 
determined  to  put  her  through,  keeping  out  of 
trouble  by  letting  off  the  sheet,  and  touching  her 
up,  as  occasion  might  require.  He  cast  frequent 
glances  behind  him,  to  obtain  the  earliest  knowl- 


288  ALL  ADRIFT;  oit, 

edge  of  the  approach  of  the  Sylph.  He  was  less 
than  half  a  mile  from  the  southern  point  of  the 
large  island,  and  she  could  not  yet  be  seen. 

The  skipper  wondered  if  she  had  not  given  up 
the  chase. 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  289 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

DORY  MAKES  A  HARBOR  FOR  THE  NIGHT. 

I  "\ORY  could  not  see  any  reason  why  his  uncle 
-*-^  should  follow  him  at  all,  and  especially  not 
why  he  should  chase  him  in  the  night  and  the 
storm.  It  seemed  to  him  not  improbable  that 
the  Sylph  had  abandoned  the  pursuit,  and  gone 
up  the  lake. 

While  he  was  hoping  the  chase  was  ended  on 
the  part  of  his  uncle,  the  Goldwing  came  up  with 
the  south-west  point  of  the  large  island.  Beyond 
it  the  sea  looked  very  ugly,  and  it  would  shake 
the  schooner  up  in  a  very  lively  manner  in  the 
next  mile  and  a  half  she  had  to  make.  Dory  did 
not  care  to  take  any  needless  risks;  and,  if  the 
steamer  had  given  up  the  chase,  he  intended  to 
get  under  a  lee,  and  anchor  till  morning. 

He  looked  back  once  more  before  the  boat 
reached  a  position  where  he  could  not  see  the 
other  side  of  the  lake.  To  his  regret  he  saw  the 


290  ALL    ADKIFT;    OB, 

Sylph  just  coming  into  view  beyond  Ladd's  Point. 
She  had  not  given  it  up.  He  wished  he  had  made 
another  half  mile,  and  then  she  could  not  have 
seen  the  schooner;  for  she  would  have  been 
behind  the  island.  She  could  see  him  plainly 
enough  now,  and  she  headed  _for  the  south  of 
Ball  Island. 

Having  passed  through  the  channel  between  the 
islands,  the  weather  there  proved  to  be  a  perfect 
muzzier.  The  Goldwing  labored  heavily  in  the 
angry  chop  sea,  and  it  was  all  Dory  could  do  to 
keep  her  right  side  up.  In  a  few  minutes  more 
it  seemed  quite  impossible  to  do  so,  and  Dory  let 
go  the  mainsail  halyards.  Whether  he  was  caught 
or  not,  he  could  no  longer  carry  all  sail.  He  had 
put  the  schooner  before  it,  but  he  had  to  come  up 
into  the  wind  to  get  in  the  mainsail. 

The  young  skipper's  calculations  had  been  with- 
in bounds,  and  he  could  afford  the  time  he  spent 
in  reducing  sail.  With  more  experience  he  would 
have  taken  in  sail  from  choice  rather  than  neces- 
sity, for  a  boat  don't  sail  any  faster  by  being 
crowded  with  more  sail  than  she  can  carry.  The 
foresail  was  a  large  one,  and  it  almost  becalmed 
the  jib.  It  was  all  the  sail  she  needed,  and  Dory 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  291 

soon  saw  that  he  was  going  faster  than  at  any 
time  before. 

A  run  of  a  mile  and  a  half  more  brought  the 
boat  up  with  the  extreme  end  of  St.  Alban's  Point. 
An  eighth  of  a  mile  west  of  it  was  a  small  island. 
Here  was  another  of  those  channels  which  the  low 
water  rendered  available  for  the  purpose  of  the 
skipper  in  eluding  his  swift  pursuer.  The  channel 
was  about  four  feet  deep ;  and  Dory  hauled  in  the 
fore  sheet,  and  went  through  it.  Under  the  lee 
of  the  island  the  skipper  found  the  water  quiet. 
Throwing  the  boat  up  into  the  wind,  he  ran  for- 
ward, and  hauled  down  the  jib.  Then  he  threw 
over  the  anchor,  leaving  the  foresail  set. 

It  was  getting  dark,  and  the  manosuvring  could 
not  be  kept  up  much  longer.  It  would  be  fifteen 
or  twenty  minutes  before  the  Sylph  could  come 
up  with  St.  Alban's  Point.  The  Goldwing  was 
behind  the  island,  and  he  did  not  think  the  people 
on  board  of  her  would  discover  where  she  was. 
If  they  did,  she  could  not  follow  him  through  the 
shoal  passage.  If  she  got  out  her  boats  again,  he 
could  run  off  to  the  northward  under  the  foresail. 
All  he  had  to  do  was  to  watch  and  wait. 

He  had  still  a  considerable  supply  of  ham  and 


292  ALL  ADRIFT  ;    OB, 

hard-bread  and  cheese  in  the  cabin;  and,  while 
he  watched  and  waited,  he  ate  his  supper.  Before 
he  had  eaten  all  he  wanted,  he  saw  the  bow  of  the 
Sylph  beyond  the  point  of  the  little  island.  She 
had  stopped  her  screw,  and  this  made  it  evident 
to  Dory  that  his  uncle  suspected  he  had  gone 
through  one  of  the  openings  to  the  other  side  of 
the  islands. 

The  skipper  of  the  Goldwing  was  tired  of  the 
chase,  but  he  did  not  intend  to  be  captured  by 
his  uncle.  He  could  hear  the  escaping  steam  on 
board  of  the  Sylph,  and  he  knew  that  she  was 
not  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant  from 
him.  Captain  Gildrock  would  get  out  his  boats 
again,  and  send  them  through  the  passage,  where 
the  steamer  could  not  go.  Weighing  the  anchor, 
he  stood  off  to  the  north-west  under  the  foresail 
only. 

Though  the  wind  was  blowing  almost  a  gale, 
the  schooner  went  along  very  well  under  the 
foresail.  She  had  not  made  half  a  mile  before 
Dory  saw  the  Sylph  standing  down  the  bay  again. 
This  movement  called  for  reflection  on  the  part 
of  the  skipper.  He  was  not  quite  willing  to 
believe  that  his  uncle  would  allow  himself  to  be 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  293 

caught  again  by  the  old  strategy.  If  she  were 
going  around  to  the  north  side  of  the  islands,  it 
was  a  five-miles'  run ;  and  it  would  take  her  half 
an  hour  to  do  it. 

After  thinking  the  matter  over  for  some  time, 
he  concluded  that  his  uncle  was  using  strategy. 
If  he  was  really  going  around  the  islands,  he  had 
left  the  boats  where  they  could  intercept  him  if 
he  resorted  to  the  old  dodge.  He  decided  not  to 
be  caught  in  any  trap,  and  therefore  he  continued 
on  his  way  to  the  northward.  Ahead  of  him  was 
Wood's  Island,  and  he  changed  his  course  enough 
to  carry  the  boat  to  the  leeward  of  it. 

It  was  getting  to  be  quite  dark,  and  the  chase 
could  not  be  continued  much  longer.  It  was  less 
than  two  miles  to  Wood's  Island,  and  he  was 
soon  up  with  the  southern  point  of  it.  It  was 
now  too  dark  for  him  to  see  the  boats,  if  they  had 
come  through  from  the  bay.  Dead  to  windward 
he  at  last  discovered  a  green  light,  which  he  had 
no  doubt  was  the  starboard  signal-lantern  of  the 
Sylph. 

The  steamer  was  really  going  around  the  isl- 
ands. He  watched  this  light  with  deep  interest, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  he  made  out  the  red  light. 


294  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

Both  the  port  and  the  starboard  lights  were  now 
to  be  seen,  and  this  indicated  that  the  Sylph  was 
coming  towards  him.  But  she  was  nearly  three 
miles  distant,  and  at  present  he  had  nothing  to 
fear  from  her. 

The  Goldwing  was  now  up  with  the  cape  that 
extends  out  from  the  east  side  of  the  island.  For 
half  a  mile  beyond  it,  was  a  shoal  of  rocks  and 
sand ;  so  that  the  steamer  could  not  come  within 
that  distance  of  the  shore  until  after  she  had 
passed  this  shoal.  The  coast-line  of  the  island 
now  trended  to  the  west.  Taking  another  look 
in  the  direction  of  the  steamer,  he  found  he  could 
see  only  her  red,  or  port,  light.  This  indicated 
that  she  had  headed  to  the  eastward,  and  was 
going  towards  the  place  where  Dory  had  an- 
chored. 

The  schooner  carried  no  lights,  and  it  was  im- 
possible that  those  on  board  of  the  Sylph  had 
seen  her  in  the  darkness.  She  had  gone  in  to 
the  shoals  between  the  large  island  and  the  main 
shore  to  pick  up  her  boats.  Dory  was  quite  satis- 
fied with  the  present  aspect  of  his  case.  The 
darkness  would  fight  out  the  rest  of  the  battle 
for  hun. 


THE   GOLDWING  CLUB.  295 

A  quarter  of  a  mile  behind  the  point  on  Wood's 
Island  there  was  a  bay,  into  which  he  ran  the 
schooner.  He  hauled  the  centre-board  entirely 
up,  and  then  worked  the  boat  as  far  as  he  could 
towards  the  land.  When  she  grounded,  he  low- 
ered the  foresail,  and  made  every  thing  snug  on 
board.  His  craft  was  completely  sheltered  from 
the  violent  wind;  but  he  carried  the  anchor  up 
to  the  shore,  and  buried  one  of  the  flukes  in  the 
sand. 

From  the  boat  he  could  no  longer  see  the 
steamer's  lights.  But,  when  he  had  planted  the 
anchor,  he  went  ashore,  and  walked  down  to 
the  projecting  point,  from  the  end  of  which,  if 
it  had  been  light  enough,  he  could  have  seen  the 
whole  of  the  north  side  of  Potter's  Island.  The 
port  light  of  the  Sylph  was  still  in  sight,  but  in 
a  few  minutes  it  disappeared.  Neither  of  the 
signal-lights  could  be  seen;  and  this  indicated 
that  the  steamer  was  headed  away  from  Dory's 
position,  or  had  stopped  her  screw. 

Presently  he  saw  some  white  lights  moving 
about.  He  judged  that  they  were  lanterns  in  the 
hands  of  the  men.  Beyond  this  he  could  form  no 
idea  what  was  going  on.  He  watched  the  lanterns 


296  ALL  ADRIFT;  OB, 

for  twenty  minutes  or  more.  He  supposed  the 
steamer  was  picking  up  her  boats,  if  she  had  sent 
any  out :  if  not,  they  must  be  examining  the  shore 
in  search  of  the  Goldwing.  Dory  was  sure  they 
would  not  find  her,  and  he  felt  entirely  easy. 

About  this  time  it  began  to  rain.  The  skipper 
had  on  nothing  but  his  shirt  and  trousers,  and  the 
rain  felt  wet  to  him.  He  did  not  like  the  feeling 
of  it.  He  had  played  his  part  as  far  as  he  could 
that  night.  If  his  uncle  discovered  him  in  his 
present  retreat,  he  could  not  help  himself.  There 
was  nothing  more  that  he  could  do  to  keep  out  of 
the  way  of  the  steamer.  He  might  as  well  get 
into  the  cabin  out  of  the  rain,  and  take  his 
chances. 

As  he  started  to  return  to  the  boat,  he  took  a 
last  look  to  the  southward.  The  lanterns  had 
disappeared  some  time  before,  but  now  the  port 
light  of  the  Sylph  came  into  view  again.  A  little 
later  he  saw  the  green  light.  Both  were  in  sight 
at  the  same  time.  The  steamer,  therefore,  was 
coming  towards  him.  He  hastened  back  to  the 
boat,  and  waded  off  to  her. 

Dory  did  not  believe  that  the  Sylph's  people 
could  see  the  Goldwing  in  the  darkness  and  in 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  297 

the  mist  caused  by  the  rain.  He  drew  the  slide, 
and  crawled  into  the  cabin,  leaving  the  doors  open 
so  that  he  could  see  out  upon  the  lake.  After  a 
while  he  saw  the  two  lights  of  the  steamer.  She 
was  moving  very  slowly  to  the  northward.  The 
green  light  disappeared  as  she  came  nearer. 

The  island  was  less  than  a  mile  from  the  main- 
land, and  the  Sylph  was  obliged  to  keep  half  a 
mile  from  the  shore  to  clear  the  shoal.  She  passed 
the  dangerous  navigation,  and  Dory  was  strained 
up  to  the  highest  pitch  of  anxiety  as  he  waited  to 
see  whether  she  was  coming  in  any  nearer  to  his 
hiding-place.  He  watched  for  the  green  light, 
but  he  saw  only  the  red  one. 

The  rain  came  down  in  torrents ;  and  the  skipper 
could  hear  the  roar  of  the  gale  on  the  island, 
though  he  was  completely  sheltered  from  its  fury. 
It  was  so  thick  out  on  the  water  that  he  could  no 
longer  see  the  red  light,  or  only  caught  an  occa- 
sional glimpse  of  it.  The  steamer  had  gone  off  to 
the  northward,  and  this  was  evidence  enough  to 
Dory  that  his  retreat  had  not  been  discovered. 
The  excitement  was  over  for  that  day  and  that 
night.  The  skipper  put  on  the  rest  of  his  clothes, 
and  turned  in.  While  he  was  wondering  whether 


298  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

the  Sylph  would  make  a  harbor,  and  anchor  for 
the  night,  or  return  to  Plattsburgh,  he  dropped 
asleep.  He  was  very  tired,  and  he  slept  like  a 
rock  till  the  sun  shone  into  the  cabin  in  the  morn- 
ing. 

Southerly  storms  are  of  short  duration  gener- 
ally, and  there  was  not  a  cloud  in  the  sky  when 
Dory  went  out  into  the  standing-room  to  survey 
the  situation.  A  gentle  breeze  was  blowing  from 
the  west,  and  the  appearance  of  the  lake  and  its 
surroundings  was  as  beautiful  as  the  dream  of  a 
maiden.  It  was  Sunday  morning:  he  had  been 
cruising  for  three  days  on  the  lake,  and  he  was 
anxious  to  get  home.  But  his  first  desire  was  to 
ascertain  what  had  become  of  the  Sylph.  She 
was  not  to  be  seen  from  his  position  in  the  boat. 

Taking  a  large  slice  of  ham  in  one  hand,  and  a 
quantity  of  hard-bread  in  the  other,  he  waded  to 
the  shore.  From  the  highest  ground,  he  surveyed 
the  islands  and  the  mainland  to  the  northward 
and  eastward  without  seeing  any  thing  of  the 
steamer.  Walking  to  the  hill  in  the  south  of  the 
island,  the  first  thing  he  discovered,  when  he  got 
high  enough  to  see  over  the  top  of  it,  was  the 
Sylph.  She  was  headed  to  the  south-west;  and 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  299 

Dory  concluded  that  she  had  spent  the  night 
under  the  lee  of  Butler's  Island,  two  miles  north 
of  Wood's  Island.  She  was  bound  through  the 
Gut,  and  in  a  few  minutes  she  disappeared  from 
the  skipper's  view. 


300  ALL  ADRIFT;    OR, 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

TERRIBLE  INTELLIGENCE  FROM  HOME. 

say  that  Dory  was  delighted  with  the  re- 
suits  of  his  strategy,  when  he  saw  the  Sylph 
going  through  the  Eastern  Cut  of  the  Gut,  would 
be  to  state  the  case  very  mildly.  He  sat  on  the 
summit  of  the  hill,  and  ate  his  ham  and  hard- 
bread  with  entire  satisfaction;  and,  when  he 
had  finished  it,  the  steamer  was  no  longer  in 
sight. 

He  hastened  back  to  the  boat,  where  he  ate 
another  slice  of  ham,  with  the  proper  allowance 
of  hard-bread.  It  was  a  luxury  to  be  able  to 
eat  all  he  wanted,  with  no  anxiety  on  his  mind. 
He  went  to  work  to  put  the  boat  in  order  for 
the  trip  up  the  lake  to  Burlington.  While  he  was 
overhauling  her,  he  came  to  a  bottle  half  full  of 
whiskey.  Possibly  the  other  half  of  its  contents 
had  caused  the  upsetting  of  the  Goldwing,  the 
fault  of  which  had  been  charged  upon  the  boat. 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  301 

He  emptied  the  bottle  into  the  lake,  and  finished 
his  work  on  board. 

He  hoisted  the  sails ;  and,  getting  in  the 
anchor,  he  shoved  the  schooner  off  the  beach. 
Going  to  the  northward  of  the  island,  he  found 
that  he  could  just  lay  his  course  to  the  Gut.  As 
the  sun  rose  higher,  the  wind  freshened ;  and  he 
had  an  eight-knot  breeze  all  the  forenoon.  His 
return  was  without  incident ;  and  as  the  first 
bells  were  ringing  for  church,  he  landed  at  Platts- 
burgh. 

He  reported  to  the  landlord  at  the  Witherill 
House.  He  thought  this  gentleman  looked  very 
serious,  when  he  expected  to  be  greeted  as  a  suc- 
cessful skipper  after  his  cruise.  He  had  no  doubt 
Peppers  had  arrived  with  his  prisoner,  and  the 
story  of  his  trip  must  be  known.  The  first  thing 
the  hotel-keeper  did  was  to  hand  him  a  ten-dollar 
bill,  as  his  reward  for  the  capture  of  Pearl  Hawlin- 
shed." 

"You  have  earned  your  money,  Dory;  and 
there  it  is,"  said  the  landlord,  as  he  handed  him 
the-  bill. 

"I  suppose  Mr.  Peppers  has  arrived,"  added 
Dory,  as  he  put  the  money  in  his  wallet. 


302  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

"Yes:  he  got  back  about  half-past  seven  this 
morning.  You  had  a  rough  time  of  it  with 
Hawlinshed." 

"  Yes,  sir :  he  got  the  bulge  on  us  at  one  time," 
answered  Dory,  laughing  as  he  thought  of  the 
exciting  scenes  of  the  day  before. 

But  the  landlord  did  not  laugh,  as  he  had  al- 
ways done  before.  He  looked  very  serious ;  and 
the  skipper  wondered  if  he  had  been  charged  with 
any  other  crime,  his  friend  looked  so  coldly  upon 
him.  The  landlord  pulled  out  his  watch,  and  then 
shook  his  head. 

"  Have  you  been  to  breakfast,  Dory  ? "  he 
asked. 

"  Yes,  sir :  I  had  some  ham  and  hard-bread." 

"I  should  ask  you  in  to  breakfast;  but  I  am 
afraid  you  ought  not  to  stay  here  any  longer," 
added  the  hotel-keeper.  "  It  is  nine  o'clock  now, 
and  you  will  be  late." 

"Late?  Late  for  what?"  asked  Dory,  aston- 
ished at  this  remark,  which  he  could  not  compre- 
hend. 

"  Late  for  the  funeral,"  replied  the  landlord  in 
a  subdued  and  gentle  tone. 

"  The  funeral  ?  What  funeral  ?  "  asked  Dory, 
with  his  heart  in  his  throat. 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  303 

The  landlord  looked  at  him  in  silence  for  a 
moment,  and  appeared  to  be  greatly  surprised. 

"  Didn't  you  know  there  was  to  be  a  funeral  in 
Burlington  this  afternoon,  Dory?"  inquired  the 
landlord,  almost  holding  his  breath. 

"I  didn't  know  any  thing  about  a  funeral," 
answered  Dory,  trembling  with  emotion. 

"You  haven't  heard  the  news?  Didn't  you 
know  that  one  of  your  family  was  "  —  And  the 
hotel-keeper  paused,  afraid  of  the  effect  of  the 
sudden  imparting  of  the  information  to  the  boy. 

"  My  mother  isn't  dead,  is  she  ?  "  gasped  Dory, 
clinging  to  the  office-counter  for  support.. 

"  No,  she  is  not.  But  another  member  of  your 
family  is  to  be  buried  to-day,"  added  the  land- 
lord. 

"  Is  it  my  sister  Marian  ?  "  groaned  Dory. 

"  No,  Dory :  it  is  your  father." 

The  young  skipper  staggered  to  a  chair,  and 
dropped  into  it.  The  landlord  hastened  to  him. 
His  father  was  dead.  Though  it  was  known  in 
Plattsburgh,  and  had  been  for  three  days,  that 
the.«Au  Sable  steamer,  while  in  charge  of  Perry 
Dornwood,  the  assistant  pilot,  had  been  run  over 
a  point  of  rocks,  and  wrecked,  Dory  had  not  heard 


304  ALL  ADRIFT;  OB, 

of  it.  Some  who  could  have  told  him  the  news 
did  not  care  to  hurt  his  feelings ;  others  did  not 
know  he  was  the  son  of  the  pilot ;  and  many  heard 
of  the  event,  and  forgot  it  the  next  minute. 

"My  father  dead!"  groaned  Dory.  "And  I 
did  not  even  know  that  he  was  sick!" 

The  landlord  did  not  care  to  give  him  the 
whole  of  the  sad  particulars.  He  was  silent, 
thinking  that  some  friend  of  the  family  could 
discharge  this  painful  duty  better  than  he  could. 

"  That  is  what  my  uncle  Royal  wanted  of  me, 
and  I  have  been  running  away  from  him,"  added 
Dory. 

The  landlord  had  seen  Captain  Gildrock  the 
day  before  when  he  came  to  Plattsburgh  to  look 
for  the  boy ;  and  he  supposed  he  had  found  him. 
He  concluded  that  the  skipper  thought  it  neces- 
sary to  take  his  boat  to  Burlington,  and  had 
therefore  permitted  the  Sylph  to  go  on  without 
him.  He  was  surprised  to  see  him  when  he  came 
into  the  hotel. 

The  Sylph  had  merely  come  up  to  the  wharf  to 
land  her  passengers,  and  Peppers  had  only  told 
about  the  trick  played  upon  him  by  Pearl.  In 
fact,  the  captain  had  asked  him  and  Moody  not  to 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  305 

mention  the  fact  that  his  nephew  had  run  away 
from  him.  It  looked  like  an  unpleasant  family 
matter,  and  he  did  not  care  to  have  it  talked  about. 

Dory  was  overwhelmed  by  the  intelligence  of 
the  death  of  his  father.  It  was  some  time  before 
he  recovered  his  self-possession,  and  then  only 
when  the  landlord  again  reminded  him  that  he 
might  be  late  for  the  funeral.  His  good  friend 
walked  down  to  the  wharf  with  him,  carrying  a 
basket  of  provisions  he  had  ordered  for  him ;  but 
the  skipper  did  not  feel  like  eating  now.  He  took 
the  basket,  and  the  Goldwing  was  soon  standing 
down  the  bay. 

Of  course  it  was  not  possible  for  Dory  to  think 
of  any  thing  but  the  death  of  his  father  as  he 
sailed  up  the  lake.  He  had  no  particulars  of  the 
sad  event;  but  now  it  appeared  that  his  uncle 
had  been  in  search  of  him,  and  had  taken  great 
pains  to  find  him.  He  regretted  very  much  that 
he  had  avoided  him,  and  he  thought  more  of 
uncle  Royal  than  ever  before  in  his  life.  He  had 
regarded  him  as  a  rich  man,  who  was  selfish,  and 
who  had  neglected  his  sister,  the  boy's  mother. 
He  had  not  been  in  her  house  since  she  was  mar- 
ried. 


306  ALL  ADRIFT;  OB, 

At  eleven  o'clock  the  Goldwing  was  off  Col- 
chester Light ;  and  it  was  likely  to  take  a  couple 
of  hours  more  to  finish  the  trip.  Dory  had  eaten 
his  breakfast  at  five  o'clock;  and,  if  he  was  not 
hungry,  he  was  faint,  and  felt  the  need  of  food. 
Mechanically  he  opened  the  basket  the  hotel- 
keeper  had  given  him.  It  contained  the  choicest 
food  from  the  table  of  the  hotel;  and  he  ate, 
though  rather  from  a  sense  of  duty  than  because 
he  felt  much  interested  in  the  operation.  The 
lunch  made  him  feel  better,  for  it  seemed  to  allay 
a  sort  of  nervousness  that  troubled  him. 

He  could  not  eat  all  the  basket  contained.  The 
provision  was  wrapped  up  in  a  sheet  of  white 
paper,  and  then  the  parcel  was  enclosed  in  a 
newspaper.  As  he  was  restoring  this  last  wrap- 
per, something  printed  in  the  paper  attracted  his 
attention.  The  article  was  headed  "Suicide  of 
a  Pilot." 

Dory  was  almost  paralyzed  as  he  read  the  piece. 
He  was  obliged  to  stop  to  control  his  emotion  sev- 
eral times  before  he  could  finish  it.  He  learned 
that  his  father  had  drowned  himself  in  the  lake 
on  Friday,  and  his  body  had  been  found  and  sent 
to  Burlington  on  Saturday  morning. 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  307 

For  the  first  time  lie  read  of  the  disaster  to  the 
Au  Sable.  The  particulars  of  that  event  were 
reviewed  in  the  article.  The  steamer  had  run  on 
the  rocks  while  his  father  was  at  the  wheel.  The 
paper  said  that  he  was  either  intoxicated  or  asleep, 
or  possibly  both.  It  was  very  fortunate  that  no 
lives  were  lost,  though  several  persons  had  been 
in  great  peril. 

The  pilot  was  ruined  by  the  catastrophe.  The 
owners  of  the  boat  suffered  a  heavy  loss  by  allow- 
ing him  to  continue  in  their  employ  when  his 
habits  disqualified  him  for  the  responsible  posi- 
tion he  occupied  on  board.  Perry  Dornwood, 
either  from  remorse,  or  the  consciousness  that  he 
had  ruined  himself  and  his  future  prospects,  had 
ended  the  life  which  had  been  so  unproductive  to 
himself  and  his  little  family. 

It  was  some  time  before  Dory  recovered  in  a 
measure  from  the  shock  which  the  reading  of  this 
article  gave  him.  He  wept  bitterly,  and  re- 
proached himself  because  he  had  not  been  with 
his  mother  in  the  midst  of  her  terrible  affliction ; 
but  he  consoled  himself  with  the  reflection  that 
he  had  been  at  work  for  her. 

He  fastened  his  boat  to  a  wharf  on  his  arrival, 


308  ALL   ADEIFT;    OB, 

and  hastened  to  his  home.  He  saw  that  the 
Sylph  was  at  the  next  wharf,  and,  whatever 
Captain  Gildrock  had  failed  to  do  for  his  mother 
in  the  past,  he  was  with  her  in  her  hour  of  affliction. 

He  threw  himself  into  his  mother's  arms  when 
he  reached  the  house,  and  wept  as  he  had  never 
wept  before.  His  mother  mingled  her  tears  and 
sobs  with  her  son's.  But  violent  grief  usually 
vents  itself,  and  relief  comes.  When  the  people 
gathered  at  the  funeral,  both  Mrs.  Dornwood  and 
her  son  were  calm.  The  minister  spoke  words 
of  hope  and  comfort  to  them,  and  they  followed 
the  dead  to  his  grave.  Captain  Gildrock  sup- 
ported his  sister,  and  certainly  no  one  could  have 
been  kinder  or  more  considerate. 

They  went  back  to  the  desolate  home.  Little 
was  said  of  the  departed  husband  and  father ;  but 
all  that  was  said  was  of  his  good  deeds,  and  his 
failings  were  not  mentioned.  The  day  wore 
away.  The  door  of  one  state  of  existence  seemed 
to  close  with  that  sad  day,  and  with  the  next 
morning  the  family  felt  that  they  had  entered 
upon  a  new  era  in  their  career.  Captain  Gildrock 
slept  on  board  of  the  Sylph,  because  there  was  no 
room  for  him  in  the  poor  abode  of  his  sister. 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  309 

"  When  your  uncle  told  me  that  you  ran  away 
from  him,  I  was  afraid  something  terrible  had 
happened  to  you,  Dory,"  said  his  mother,  after 
breakfast.  "  Why  did  you  avoid  him  ?  " 

"  Because  I  never  liked  him.  While  you  have 
almost  suffered  for  the  want  of  food,  clothes,  and 
a  decent  house,  he  has  never  done  a  thing  for 
you.  You  told  me  he  had  never  been  to  see  you 
since  you  were  married.  I  always  looked  upon 
him  as  a  hog,"  replied  Dory  with  spirit. 

"  Your  uncle  Royal  and  your  father  could  never 
agree.  When  I  was  married,  my  father  and  my 
brother  were  both  opposed  to  it.  They  did  not 
believe  your  father  was  able  to  take  care  of  a 
family.  They  were  right,  though  I  will  not  speak 
ill  of  him  who  is  gone.  Your  father  forbid  Royal 
from  ever  entering  his  house.  But  Royal  has 
offered  to  help  me  a  hundred  times,  but  I  was 
afraid  to  accept  his  aid  on  account  of  your  father. 
Now  he  has  offered  me  a  home  for  myself  and  my 
two  children  in  his  own  house,"  replied  the 
widow,  wiping  the  tears  from  her  eyes.  "  He  is 
a  good  brother." 

Dory  was  both  astonished  and  mortified. 


310  ALL  ADRIFT;    OR, 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

CAPTAIN    GILDROCK    HAS    DECIDED    OBJEC- 
TIONS. 

"TTNCLE   ROYAL  is  a  different  sort  of  a 

^  man  from  what  I  thought  he  was,  and  I 
am  sorry  I  kept  out  of  the  way  when  he  was 
looking  for  me.  But  I  hope,  mother,  that  you 
don't  mean  to  be  dependent  upon  him  or  anybody 
else,"  said  Dory. 

"  I  have  struggled  hard  to  get  along,  and  feed 
and  clothe  you  children,"  replied  Mrs.  Dornwood. 
"  If  I  could  get  work  enough,  I  could  do  pretty 
well;  but"  — 

"  I  can  take  care  of  you,  mother ;  and  J  shall 
do  it,"  interposed  Dory. 

"  You,  poor  boy !  What  can  you  do?  I  heard 
that  you  had  been  discharged  from  your  place  on 
the  steamboat,"  added  his  mother.  "  Worse  than 
that :  they  say  you  took  some  money  that  didn't 
belong  to  you." 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  311 

"Did  Corny  Minkfield  bring  that  story  over 
here  ?  "  demanded  Dory  indignantly. 

"  No :  your  uncle  heard  it  over  at  Plattsburgh." 

Dory  told  enough  of  his  story  to  prove  that  he 
did  not  steal  the  money  with  which  he  bought  the 
boat,  but  he  could  not  tell  where  he  got  it. 
Then  he  produced  the  seventy  dollars  he  had  in 
his  pocket,  and  gave  that  to  his  mother. 

"  Why,  Dory,  where  in  the  world  did  you  get 
so  much  money  ?  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Dornwood,  as 
she  took  the  bills;  and  the  amount  was  more 
than  she  had  ever  before  possessed  at  one  time 
since  she  was  married. 

"  I  received  one  hundred  and  five  dollars  for  a 
service  I  rendered  to  a  man  near  Plattsburgh,  and 
I  earned  ten  dollars  by  helping  the  officer  capture 
Pearl  Hawlinshed,"  replied  Dory. 

His  mother  wanted  to  know  who  had  given  him 
the  money,  and  for  what;  and  Dory  could  only 
reply  that  he  had  promised  not  to  tell.  Mrs. 
Dornwood  was  not  satisfied,  and  she  greatly 
feared  that  her  son  had  been  doing  something 
wrong. 

"  I  can't  tell  when  I  promised  not  to  tell,"  added 
he.-  "  The  man  that  gave  it  to  me  said  that  I  had 


312  ALL  ADRIFT;   OR, 

saved  him  from  losing  a  very  large  sum.  With 
a  part  of  this  I  bought  the  Gold  wing." 

"I  have  heard  all  about  the  Goldwing  Club, 
and  so  has  your  uncle  Royal,"  said  Mrs.  Dorn- 
wood.  "When  he  came  up  yesterday  morning, 
he  set  about  finding  you.  We  couldn't  tell  any 
thing  at  all  what  had  become  of  you.  I  supposed 
you  was  at  work  on  the  steamer  till  Royal  told 
me  you  had  been  turned  away." 

"  It  wasn't  my  fault  that  I  was  turned  off. 
Major  Billcord  blamed  me  for  what  was  not  my 
fault,"  replied  Dory. 

"  Your  uncle  said  as  much  as  that,  and  declared 
that  he  should  give  Major  Billcord  a  piece  of  his 
mind.  At  last  Royal  came  to  me  to  know  what 
boys  you  played  with  when  you  were  at  home.  I 
gave  him  the  names  of  all  the  boys  you  used  to 
call  the  Colchester  Club." 

"They  changed  the  name  to  the  Goldwing 
Club,"  added  Dory. 

"Your  uncle  found  them  all,  and  they  told 
him  all  about  the  boat  you  had  bought.  He  took 
them  with  him  when  he  went  up  to  Plattsburgh 
in  his  steam-yacht.  He  wanted  them  to  help  him 
find  you,"  continued  Mrs.  Dornwood. 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  313 

"  Then  Corny  Minkfield  told  him  that  I  was  a 
thief.  If  he  had  staid  with  me,  he  would  have 
heard  the  detective  prove  that  I  was  not  a  thief. 
But  my  uncle  heard  it  all,"  said  Dory. 

"  He  proved  that  you  did  not  steal  the  money 
you  paid  for  the  boat  from  the  man  at  the  hotel ; 
and  that  was  all.  No  one  knows  to  this  minute 
where  you  did  get  it." 

"  If  you  won't  believe  what  I  say,  I  can't  help 
it,"  answered  Dory,  with  some  indignation  in  his 
tones. 

"  I  hope  it  is  all  right,  Dory ;  but  your  uncle  is 
afraid  you  are  getting  into  bad  ways.  He  wants 
to  do  something  for  you." 

"  I  don't  want  him  to  do  any  thing  for  me.  I 
am  able  to  take  care  of  myself,  and  you  and 
Marian  besides.  With  the  Goldwing  I  can  make 
five  dollars  a  day  when  I  can  get  a  party,"  said 
Dory. 

"You  had  better  see  your  uncle  Royal,  and 
talk  with  him.  He  has  been  very  kind  to  me, 
and  he  thinks  a  great  deal  of  you,"  said  Mrs. 
Dornwood. 

"  Thinks  a  great  deal  of  me !  "  exclaimed  Dory, 
hardly  able  to  believe  the  statement. 


314  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

"That  is  just  what  he  says.  We  had  a  long 
talk  about  you  yesterday  forenoon,  after  he  came 
back  from  his  trip  down  the  lake  after  you.  He 
said  you  were  too  smart  for  him,  and  he  told  how 
you  had  kept  out  of  the  way  of  his  steam-yacht. 
He  thinks  you  have  talent,  and  it  would  be  a 
great  pity  to  have  you  go  wrong  in  the  world." 

Dory  was  utterly  astonished,  for  he  supposed 
his  uncle  had  a  very  mean  opinion  of  him.  But 
he  was  not  quite  reconciled  to  having  his  mother 
dependent  on  his  uncle.  He  wanted  to  be  inde- 
pendent, and  he  had  been  thinking  so  much  of 
supporting  the  family  that  he  was  not  ready  to 
give  up  the  idea. 

"My  brother  has  no  family.  His  wife  died 
before  he  left  off  going  to  sea,  and  he  has  no 
children,"  said  Mrs.  Dornwood.  "He  wants  me 
to  keep  house  for  him,  and  I  shall  not  feel  like  a 
dependant.  I  and  my  children  are  his  only  legal 
heirs,  though  he  may  give  his  property  away  by 
will  to  whomever  he  pleases." 

"  I  don't  exactly  like  the  idea  of  living  on  him," 
added  Dory.  "  I  never  did  like  him,  and  I  can't 
quite  get  over  the  old  feeling." 

"The   old   feeling  was  all  wrong,  my  son.    I 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  315 

should  think  you  would  like  to  live  with  your 
uncle,  when  he  has  no  end  of  boats,  and  the  finest 
steam-yacht  on  the  lake,"  argued  his  mother. 

"I  have  as  good  a  boat  as  I  want,  and  I  feel 
sure  that  I  can  support  the  family  with  it." 

Just  then  there  was  a  knock  at  the  door,  and 
the  postman  handed  in  a  postal  card  directed  to 
"  Theodore  Dornwood."  It  was  from  the  proprie- 
tor of  the  Witherill  House.  Two  of  his  guests 
wanted  a  sailboat  and  a  skipper  for  three  days 
from  Tuesday  morning.  He  had  given  his  address 
and  terms  to  the  hotel-keeper,  and  here  was  the 
first  call  for  his  services. 

"  Look  at  that,  mother ! "  exclaimed  the  young 
boatman  triumphantly.  "  Three  days,  fifteen  dol- 
lars! What's  the  use  of  being  dependent  upon 
uncle  Royal?"" 

Mrs.  Dornwood  read  the  postal,  and  it  looked 
like  an  avalanche  of  business  even  to  her.  Dory 
regarded  his  fortune  as  made.  He  must  leave  for 
Plattsburgh  after  dinner,  so  as  to  be  sure  and  be 
there  in  the  morning.  Before  this  matter  was 
disposed  of,  Captain  Gildrock  presented  himself 
at  the  house. 

The  owner  of  the  Sylph  spoke  very  kindly  to 


316  ALL  ADRIFT  ;    OR, 

Dory,  and  the  conversation  soon  turned  to  the 
events  of  the  preceding  Saturday.  The  captain 
was  not  yet  informed  in  what  manner  the  Gold- 
wing  had  finally  escaped  from  him.  The  young 
skipper  explained  it  all.  Mrs.  Dornwood  informed 
her  brother  of  the  reason  why  her  son  had  avoided 
him,  but  the  captain  did  not  allude  to  this  subject 
in  the  presence  of  the  boy. 

Dory  showed  the  postal  card  to  his  uncle,  and 
said  he  was  going  to  sail  for  Plattsburgh  after 
dinner.  Captain  Gildrock  did  not  like  Dory's 
plan  for  earning  a  living.  He  objected  to  it  in 
the  most  decided  manner.  He  did  not  believe  he 
could  make  a  living  in  this  way,  for  there  would 
not  be  sufficient  demand  for  the  boat  to  make  it 

pay- 

"  But  I  have  a  fifteen-dollar  job  to  start  with," 
pleaded  Dory. 

"  That  Vill  do  very  well  for  one  week,  Theo- 
dore; but  you  will  not  find  steady  employment 
for  the  season.  But  this  is  not  the  strongest 
objection  to  your  plan,"  replied  Captain  Gildrock. 

"  I  don't  see  what  other  objection  there  can  be 
to  the  plan,"  said  Dory,  whose  heart  was  set  on 
the  scheme. 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  317 

"  Perhaps  you  will  not  be  able  to  see  it  when 
I  mention  it ;  but  I  think  your  mother  will,"  con- 
tinued his  uncle.  "  If  you  could  select  your  own 
parties,  it  might  do  very  well.  Many  people  who 
indulge  in  boating  are  fast  livers.  You  will  find 
that  some  of  your  customers  are  rough  characters. 
You  will  have  a  great  deal  of  drinking  in  your 
boat,  and  many  men  who  are  willing  to  pay  five 
dollars  a  day  for  the  boat  are  not  such  persons  as 
I  should  choose  for  associates  of  a  son  or  a  nephew 
of  mine." 

"  I  never  drink  any  liquor,  beer,  or  any  thing 
stronger  than  coffee,  uncle  Royal,"  protested 
Dory.  "I  found  half  a  bottle  of  whiskey  on 
board  of  the  Goldwing  yesterday  morning,  and  I 
threw  it  into  the  lake." 

"  Your  habits  are  good  now,  but  it  is  a  question 
whether  they  will  continue  so  if  you  make  a  busi- 
ness of  taking  out  parties  in  your  boat.  You  will 
meet  men  in  their  gayest  moods,  when  they  lay 
aside  all  restraint." 

"  But  I  promised  the  landlord  of  the  Witherill 
House  that  I  would  take  out  parties  when  he 
sent  for  me,"  added  Dory.  "  I  think  I  can  take 
care  of  myself." 


318  ALL  ADRIFT;  OB, 

"  Go  in  this  instance,  if  you  think  you  ought 
to  do  so.  I  am  going  up  to  Plattsburgh  in  the 
Sylph  this  afternoon.  I  have  invited  the  Gold- 
wing  Club  to  go  with  me,  but  I  suppose  you  will 
be  unable  to  join  us,"  said  Captain  Gildrock. 

44 1  was  going  to  ask  the  members  to  sail  down 
with  me,"  replied  Dory. 

"  Very  well :  they  may  go  with  you,  and  I  will 
bring  them  back.  I  have  a  scheme  in  my  mind 
upon  which  I  have  been  at  work  this  forenoon ; 
but,  if  you  have  concluded  to  do  a  boating  busi- 
ness for  a  living,  I  shall  have  to  give  it  up,  at 
least  for  the  present." 

44  Has  the  scheme  any  thing  to  do  with  me  ? " 
asked  Dory,  his  curiosity  awakened  by  the  re- 
mark. 

"  It  has  to  do  with  all  the  members  of  the 
Goldwing  Club.  I  have  been  to  see  Mrs.  Short 
and  Mrs.  Minkfield  in  regard  to  Richard  and 
Cornelius.  But  my  plan  is  not  yet  matured,  and 
I  will  not  say  any  thing  more  about  it  until  we 
see  how  you  make  out  boating." 

44 1  bought  the  boat  in  order  to  do  something 
to  help  mother,"  added  Dory.  "I  didn't  give 
forty-two  dollars  for  it  for  a  plaything." 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  319 

"  Your  mother  tells  me  that  you  have  done 
every  thing  you  could  to  help  her,  and  have  given 
her  all  the  money  you  earned.  I  am  very  glad  to 
hear  so  good  a  report  of  you,  for  I  have  been 
told  that  you  were  rather  wild.  The  only  doubt 
I  have  in  regard  to  you  now  is  as  to  where  the 
money  came  from  to  pay  for  the  Goldwing. 

Dory  told  all  he  felt  at  liberty  to  tell,  but  this 
did  not  satisfy  his  uncle  any  more  than  it  did  his 
mother. 

"  A  man  doesn't  give  a  boy  over  a  hundred 
dollars  without  some  very  strong  motive ;  and 
your  mother  is  not  likely  ever  to  know  the  nature 
of  this  mysterious  transaction,"  added  the  captain. 

"  I  can't  break  my  promise,  uncle  Royal,"  pro- 
tested Dory. 

"  Some  promises  are  better  broken  than  kept." 

Captain  Gildrock's  residence  was  about  twenty 
miles  up  the  lake  on  Beaver  River,  where  he  had 
a  large  estate.  Dory  had  never  been  there, 
though  he  had  seen  it  from  the  river.  It  was 
decided  .that  Mrs.  Dornwood  and  Marian  should 
go  to  Plattsburgh  in  the  Sylf  S  and  then  go  home 
with  the  captain,  as  Dory  was  to  be  away  for 
three  days. 


320  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

After  dinner  Dory  went  on  board  of  the  Gold 
wing.  He  had  seen  and  invited  the  members 
of  the  Goldwing  Club  to  go  with  him,  and  they 
were  at  the  wharf  when  he  arrived.  In  a  few 
minutes  they  were  sailing  down  the  lake. 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  321 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

CAPTAIN  GILDEOCK  DILATES  UPON  HIS  NOTABLE 
SCHEME. 

E  first  thing  Corny  Minkfield  did  was  to 
apologize  for  his  conduct  the  last  day  he  had 
been  on  board  of  the  Goldwing.  He  was  afraid 
then  that  Dory  had  been  guilty  of  some  offence 
which  might  get  them  all  into  a  scrape.  The 
skipper  accepted  the  apology,  and  they  were  as 
good  friends  as  ever. 

"We  are  all  invited  up  to  Beech  Hill,"  said 
Thad,  when  the  difficulty  between  the  skipper 
and  Corny  had  been  healed. 

"Where  is  Beech  Hill?"  asked  Dory,  who  had 
never  heard  the  name  before. 

"Don't  you  know  the  name  of  your  uncle's 
place?"  demanded  Dick  Short,  laughing. 

•'  I  never  was  there,  and  I  never  heard  the  name 
before." 

"We  are  going  up  in  the  Sylph  from  Platts- 


322  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

burgh  to-night.     Captain  Gildrock  is  the  bulliest 
man  on  the  lake,"  said  Nat  Long. 

"He  has  got  something  in  his  head,"  added 
Thad.  "He  treats  us  fellows  like  lords." 

"  He  asked  my  mother  what  I  was  going  to  do 
in  the  way  of  business;  and  she  told  him  she 
should  get  a  place  in  a  store  for  me  as  soon  as  I 
got  through  school,"  said  Corny.  "You  ought 
to  have  heard  him  talk  then !  He  said  I  was  too 
much'  of  a  fellow  to  be  a  counter-jumper." 

"  What  is  he  driving  at,  Corny  ?  "  asked  Dory. 

"I  don't  know:  he  didn't  let  on;  but  he  has 
got  something  in  his  head." 

The  skipper  found  that  his  fellow-members  of 
the  club  knew  no  more  about  his  scheme  than  he 
did  himself.  They  had  a  very  jolly  time  on  the 
trip ;  but  the  wind  was  light,  and  the  Gold  wing 
did  not  arrive  at  her  destination  until  nearly 
dark.  Dory  hastened  to  the  hotel  to  report  to 
the  landlord,  who  was  very  glad  to  see  him. 

"  I  am  glad  you  have  come ;  for  there  is  a  gen- 
tleman in  the  house  who  is  very  anxious  to  see 
you,  Dory,"  said  the  hotel-keeper. 

"Who  is  it,  sir?" 
.   "It  is  Pearl  Hawlinshed's  father.     When  he 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  323 

heard  that  his  son  was  in  trouble,  he  hastened 
back." 

Dory  remembered  that  he  had  a  secret  to  keep ; 
and  he  said  nothing,  expressing  no  interest  by 
word  or  look  in  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Hawlinshed. 
He  asked  about  the  party  he  was  to  take  out  the 
next  morning,  and  learned  that  it  consisted  of 
two  young  men  from  New- York  City.  They 
came  in  while  he  was  at  the  counter,  and  he  was 
introduced  to  them.  They  appeared  to  be  very 
gentlemanly  young  men,  and  treated  the  skipper 
very  politely. 

After  they  had  talked  a  while  about  the  trip, 
they  expressed  a  desire  to  see  the  boat ;  and  Dory 
went  with  them  to  the  wharf.  They  were  pleased 
with  the  Goldwing,  and  directed  Dory  to  procure 
the  provisions  and  other  supplies  for  the  cruise. 
They  gave  him  a  list  of  what  they  wanted,  and 
Dory  could  not  help  thinking  of  what  his  uncle 
said  when  he  found  "  one  gallon  of  best  Bourbon 
whiskey  "  among  the  articles  to  be  procured. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  wharf  was  the  Sylph. 
The  young  men  from  New  York  manifested  a 
great  deal  of  interest  in  the  magnificent  craft,  and 
wanted  to  see  more  of  her.  But  visitors  were 


324  ALL  ADRIFT;  OB, 

not  allowed  on  board,  for  her  owner  said  he 
should  as  soon  think  of  strangers  coming  into  his 
house  as  into  his  yacht  without  an  invitation. 
While  the  young  men  were  regretting  that  they 
could  not  see  more  of  the  beautiful  craft,  Captain 
Gildrock,  with  Dory's  mother  and  sister,  came 
down.  At  his  nephew's  request  he  invited  the 
New  Yorkers  on  board. 

Dory  had  never  put  his  foot  on  board  of  the 
Sylph  before,  and  he  was  quite  as  much  interested 
as  his  passengers.  Mr.  Jepson  was  directed  to 
show  them  through  the  yacht;  but,  after  they 
had  looked  into  the  engine-room,  Mr.  Hawlinshed 
came  down  the  wharf  in  search  of  Dory,  who 
was  obliged  to  postpone  his  examination  until 
another  time. 

Mr.  Hawlinshed  took  Dory's  hand,  but  he  ap- 
peared to  be  very  sad.  His  son's  trouble  caused 
him  a  great  deal  of  sorrow :  in  fact,  the  bad  con- 
duct of  Pearl  was  the  bane  of  his  life.  He  told 
Dory  that  he  had  sold  his  farm  in  order  to  get  his 
son  away  from  his  evil  associates  near  Platts- 
burgh.  He  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  Pearl 
was  worse  than  his  companions.  He  had  done  all 
he  could  to  save  him,  and  had  failed.  He  was 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  325 

going  into  a  new  and  sparsely  settled  region  him- 
self, and  he  had  hoped  to  take  his  son  there ;  but 
Pearl  would  not  go. 

"He  wanted  to  buy  the  boat  I  have,"  said 
Dory.  "  He  thinks  you  furnished  the  money,  or 
at  least  induced  me  to  buy  her,  to  prevent  him 
from  getting  her." 

"  I  knew  he  wanted  to  buy  the  Goldwing ;  for 
he  had  a  long  talk  with  me  about  her  the  evening 
I  first  saw  you,  just  as  I  was  starting  for  Platts- 
burgh,"  continued  Mr.  Hawlinshed.  "I  think 
boating  has  been  the  ruin  of  him.  He  used  to 
go  off  with  young  men  of  dissolute  habits,  and 
I  think  this  was  what  first  led  him  astray.  He 
insisted  that  I  should  give  him  fifty  dollars  to 
buy  the  Goldwing.  I  refused  to  do  it,  and  after 
much  violent  talk  he  rushed  away  from  me.  You 
were  present  the  next  time  we  met,  Dory,"  said 
Mr.  Hawlinshed. 

"  Perhaps  it  would  have  been  better  if  you  had 
given  him  the  money,"  suggested  Dory.  "He 
took  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  from  Mr. 
,Moody's  room,  and  I  suppose  he  did  it  so  that 
he  could  buy  the  boat." 

"  I  am  afraid  it  would  have  made  no  difference," 


326  ALL   ADRIFT  ;    OK, 

replied  the  sad  father  with  a  sigh.  "  He  said  he 
could  earn  his  living,  and  make  some  money  with 
her ;  but  it  would  only  have  been  a  career  of  dis- 
sipation for  him.  I  hope  you  will  not  permit 
yourself  to  be  led  away  while  you  are  running 
the  Goldwing." 

"  I  can't  see  for  the  life  of  me  why  Pearl  did 
not  buy  the  boat  if  he  wanted  her  so  badly," 
added  Dory.  "She  is  worth  ten  times  what  I 
paid  for  her." 

"He  expected  to  buy  the  boat  for  twenty  or 
twenty-five  dollars;  and,  when  she  went  above 
that,  he  was  mad.  He  did  not  believe  you  could 
pay  for  her,  and  that  she  would  be  put  up  for 
sale  again,  and  he  could  get  her  at  his  own  price. 
If  you  had  told  me  you  meant  to  buy  a  boat,  I 
should  have  tried  to  dissuade  you  from  it;  but 
you  would  not  tell  me.  You  said  it  was  your 
secret." 

"  I  was  afraid  you  might  object." 

"I  should  certainly.  I  should  have  sent  the 
hundred  dollars  I  gave  you  to  your  mother  if  I 
had  known  you  meant  to  buy  the  Goldwing. 
You  kept  your  secret,  and  you  have  kept  mine  I 
suppose;  for  that  terrible  scene  in  the  woods 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  327 

appears  not  to  be  known  to  any  one  but  the  three 
who  were  present  at  the  time." 

"But  my  uncle  and  my  mother  believe  there 
was  something  wrong  about  that  money,"  added 
Dory.  "  I  think  they  believe  I  stole  it,  or  took 
it  for  doing  something  wrong." 

"  Is  that  your  uncle  on  board  of  the  steamer  ? ' 
asked  Mr.  Hawlinshed,  indicating  the  captain, 
who  had  seated  himself  with  his  sister  and  niece 
on  the  hurricane  deck.  "  I  wish  you  would  intro- 
duce me  to  him,  and  I  will  soon  set  you  right." 

Dory  conducted  him  to  the  presence  of  the  cap- 
tain and  his  mother,  and  introduced  him  to  both 
of  them.  Mr.  Hawlinshed  told  the  whole  story 
of  his  relations  with  his  unfortunate  son,  who  was 
now  in  jail.  He  related  the  particulars  of  the 
scene  in  the  woods,  and  assured  them  that  he  had 
given  Dory  one  hundred  and  five  dollars  for  the 
good  service  he  had  rendered  on  that  occasion. 

"I  am  very  glad  to  have  this  matter  cleared 
up,"  said  Captain  Gildrock. 

"I  am  happy  now,"  added  Mrs.  Dornwood. 
"  That  money  had  worried  me  ever  since  I  heard 
of  it." 

"I  should  not  have  allowed  your  nephew  to 


328  ALL  ADRIFT;  OR, 

buy  that  boat  if  I  had  known  what  he  was  going 
to  do  with  the  money,"  added  Mr.  Hawlinshed. 
"I  think  that  boats  have  been  the  ruin  of  my 
boy;  and,  when  they  are  used  to  take  any  and 
every  body  out  for  a  frolic,  they  seem  to  me  to  be 
worse  than  bar-rooms  and  other  bad  places,"  con- 
tinued Mr.  Hawlinshed. 

"  My  sentiments  exactly ! "  exclaimed  Captain 
Gildrock,  looking  at  Dory. 

"  Of  course  I  don't  think  there  is  any  thing  bad 
in  the  boat  itself;  but  my  son  was  going  to  take 
out  parties,  and  make  a  business  of  it.  Some  very 
fair  sort  of  men  leave  all  their  good  behavior  at 
home  when  they  go  off  on  these  boat-scrapes,  and 
I  don't  like  to  have  a  boy  of  mine  with  them  at 
such  times." 

Dory  felt  very  uneasy  during  this  conversation. 
He  began  to  have  his  doubts  about  the  business 
in  which  he  had  engaged.  There  was  nothing 
bad  in  the  use  of  boats,  but  Captain  Gildrock 
contended  that  a  man  ought  to  be  as  careful  in 
regard  to  whom  he  took  into  his  boat  as  into  his 
house.  It  was  not  the  boat  or  the  boating  to 
which  Mr.  Hawlinshed  and  Dory's  uncle  objected, 
but  only  to  the  miscellaneous  parties  he  would  be 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  S29 

obliged  to  take  out  in  order  to  earn  his  liv- 
ing. 

Mr.  Hawlinshed  did  not  care  to  have  the  story 
of  the  scene  in  the  woods  repeated  at  this  time ; 
for  it  might  make  it  go  harder  with  Pearl  on  his 
trial.  But  those  to  whom  he  had  told  it  were  too 
glad  to  have  Dory's  secret  cleared  up  to  care  any 
thing  more  about  the  matter,  though  they  were 
full  of  sympathy  for  the  unhappy  father. 

Mr.  Hawlinshed  went  back  to  his  hotel.  The 
New  Yorkers  finished  their  survey  of  the  Sylph ; 
and  she  soon  left  with  the  Goldwing  Club,  with 
the  exception  of  Dory,  on  board.  Not  a  word 
had  been  said  in  regard  to  Captain  Gildrock's 
plan. 

Dory  slept  on  board  of  the  Goldwing  that  night. 
The  next  morning  he  started  with  his  passengers. 
They  went  over  to  Mallett's  Bay  first  on  a  fishing- 
excursion.  When  they  got  there,  the  skipper  was 
astonished  to  find  that  the  polite  young  gentle- 
men from  New  York  were  too  tipsy  to  use  the 
bait  and  lines  he  had  procured.  They  drank  all 
they  could  hold,  and  then  went  to  sleep.  They 
had  not  told  Dory  where  to  go  next,  and  he  an- 
chored to  wait  for  further  orders. 


330  ALL  ADRIFT  ;    OB, 

At  noon  they  both  turned  out,  but  it  was  only 
to  drink  till  they  were  tipsy  again.  They  insisted 
that  the  skipper  should  drink  with  them  ;  but, 
when  he  asked  them  who  was  to  take  care  of  the 
boat  if  he  did  as  they  did,  they  gave  up  the  point. 
They  remained  in  Mallett's  Bay  all  the  first  day. 
The  next  morning  they  wanted  to  go  to  Missis- 
quoi  Bay,  and  the  skipper  sailed  the  Goldwing 
to  that  part  of  the  lake.  The  second  day  was  like 
the  first.  On  the  third  they  had  drank  so  much 
that  they  could  not  keep  up  the  debauch,  and 
they  gambled  with  props  in  the  cabin. 

Dory  was  disgusted  with  his  passengers ;  but, 
when  he  landed  them  in  Plattsburgh,  they  were 
as  sober  and  polite  as  though  they  had  been  with 
their  mothers  all  the  time.  The  skipper  received 
his  fifteen  dollars,  and  that  was  all  the  satisfac- 
tion he  got  out  of  the  cruise.  He  returned  to 
Burlington  the  next  day,  and  spent  the  afternoon 
in  looking  for  another  party  at  the  hotels. 

There  was  no  more  business  that  week.  The 
next  week  he  got  only  a  half-day  job,  taking  a 
party  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  across  the  lake. 
Three  dollars  was  all  he  made  that  week  ;  and  he 
was  beginning  to  be  discouraged  when  he  received 


THE   GOLDWING   CLUB.  331 

a  postal  from  the  Witherill  House.  It  was  a 
fishing-party  to  Mallett's  Bay.  The  young  gen- 
tlemen from  New  York  were  saints  compared  with 
his  present  passengers.  They  got  crazy  drunk ; 
and,  when  a  shower  came  up,  they  threatened  to 
throw  the  skipper  overboard  because  he  anchored 
the  boat  to  avoid  a  squall.  Dory  was  afraid  of 
his  life,  and  five  dollars  a  day  was  no  compensa- 
tion for  the  misery  he  endured. 

Another  week  satisfied  Dory  that  the  business 
was  a  failure,  for  he  did  not  obtain  a  single  fare. 
He  went  to  his  mother,  and  told  her  he  had  had 
quite  enough  of  it.  He  was  ready  to  sell  the  boat, 
though  the  Goldwing  Club  had  fine  times  in  her 
when  she  was  not  engaged ;  and  there  were  plenty 
of  fine  times  for  them.  He  had  been  offered  a 
place  in  a  dry-goods  store,  and  he  was  willing  to 
take  it. 

"  I  think  you  had  better  see  uncle  Royal  before 
you  take  the  place,"  said  his  mother.  "I  have 
never  sailed  in  the  Goldwing,  and  Marian  and  I 
would  like  to  have  you  sail  us  up  to  Beech 
Hill.'; 

"  What  does  uncle  Royal  want  me  to  do, 
mother?"  asked  Dory,  who  suspected  that  the 


332  ALL  ADKIFT;    OE, 

captain  and  his  mother  had  something  on  their 
minds. 

"I  don't  know.  You  must  let  him  speak  for 
himself,"  replied  Mrs.  Dornwood. 

The  next  morning  Dory  took  his  mother  and 
sister  into  the  Gold  wing,  and  sailed  up  to  Beech 
Hill.  His  mother  had  to  act  as  his  pilot,  for  he 
did  not  know  how  to  take  the  boat  from  the  river 
to  the  estate.  Leaving  Beaver  River,  he  followed 
a  narrow  and  crooked  stream,  though  it  was  very 
deep,  till  he  reached  a  small  lake,  on  the  shore  of 
which  stood  the  house  of  Captain  Gildrock. 

The  party  received  a  warm  welcome,  and  Mrs. 
Dornwood  stated  the  business  that  had  brought 
them  to  Beech  Hill.  Seated  in  the  library,  the 
great  question  was  opened  for  discussion  and 
settlement. 

"  Go  into  a  store ! "  exclaimed  Captain  Gild- 
rock.  "  There  are  more  merchants  and  traders  in 
the  country  now  than  can  get  a  living,  and  mer- 
cantile life  is  a  desperate  struggle  in  these  days. 
Be  a  mechanic,  Theodore." 

"  A  mechanic ! "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Dornwood. 

"A  mechanic,  Patty,"  added  the  captain  de- 
cidedly. "  The  first  thing  a  boy  wants  is  an  edu- 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  333 

cation,  and  the  next  is  a  good  trade.  I  have  been 
thinking  of  this  subject  for  years.  Now  I  am 
going  to  tell  you  about  my  scheme.  I  want  to 
help  supply  the  country  with  good,  educated 
mechanics." 

"  I  don't  think  mechanics  need  much  education, 
Royal,"  suggested  Mrs.  Dornwood. 

"There  you  are  mistaken,  Patty.  What  this 
country,  especially  the  Eastern  and  Middle  States, 
needs  more  than  any  other  class  of  men,  is  edu- 
cated mechanics,  —  skilled  labor.  Too  many  boys 
want  to  be  shopkeepers,  and  wear  fine  clothes." 

"  I  should  like  to  be  a  mechanic,  uncle  Royal," 
said  Dory. 

"  So  would  the  other  members  of  the  Goldwing 
Club,"  continued  Captain  Gildrock.  "  Now  I  will 
tell  you  about  my  scheme.  For  the  last  year  I 
have  had  enrolled  about  a  dozen  of  the  young 
fellows  of  this  vicinity  as  volunteers  on  board  of 
the  Sylph.  Jepson  and  I  have  been  instructing 
them  in  seamanship  and  mechanics.  Jepson  has 
instructed  them  in  the  science  of  the  steam-engine, 
so  that  they  know  all  about  the  building  of  one, 
though  they  haven't  the  practical  skill  to  build 
one.  They  have  acted  as  engineers  and  firemen 


384  ALL  ADRIFT;  OK, 

of  the  yacht;  and  every  one  of  them  is  compe- 
tent to  run  a  marine  engine,  or  any  other." 

"  Those  were  the  young  fellows  that  were  pull- 
ing your  boats  that  day,  were  they  not  ? "  asked 
Dory. 

"  They  were,  Theodore.  The  only  men  I  employ 
on  board  are  the  cook  and  a  waiter,  but  I  have  re- 
quired every  one  of  these  young  men  to  learn  to  do 
plain  cooking.  All  of-  them  have  served  a  term 
in  the  galley.  I  am  captain,  and  Jepson  is  the  first 
officer,  of  the  Sylph.  I  have  taught  these  students 
how  a  vessel  or  a  boat  is  built,  how  to  sail  a  boat 
or  a  ship ;  I  have  instructed  them  in  navigation, 
and  required  them  to  get  the  latitude  and  longi- 
tude of  every  principal  point  on  the  lake ;  I  have 
taught  them  how  to  heave  the  log,  and  keep  a 
vessel's  dead  reckoning ;  I  have  required  them  to 
survey  portions  of  the  lake,  and  make  charts  of 
their  work.  They  have  been  greatly  interested, 
and  they  have  profited  by  their  opportunities. 
Not  one  of  them  has  rich  parents,  and  all  of  them 
must  soon  earn  their  own  living ;  and  you  may  be 
sure  that  not  one  of  them  will  be  a  shopkeeper, 
a  lawyer,  a  doctor,  or  a  minister." 

"  I  should  say  that  was  first-rate,"  added  Dory, 


THE  GOLDWING   CLUB.  335 

with  enthusiasm.  "I  suppose  some  of  them  will 
be  sailors." 

"  About  half  of  them  have  a  desire  to  go  to  sea, 
and  some  of  them  have  got  places  as  engineers, 
oilers,  and  firemen.  Two  of  them  will  run  sta- 
tionary engines.  I  have  done  with  them;  for 
most  of  them  were  obliged  to  go  to  work,  and 
take  care  of  themselves." 

"  Won't  they  go  in  the  Sylph  any  more  ?  "  asked 
Dory. 

"  I  have  done  all  I  could  for  them,  and  so  has 
Jepson.  So  far  as  our  teaching  facilities  are  con- 
cerned, they  have  learned  out.  My  new  scheme 
contemplates  doing  the  same  work  in  a  more 
thorough  and  practical  manner.  The  trouble 
with  my  past  crew  was,  that  I  did  not  have  them 
more  than  one  day  in  a  week;  though  we  occa- 
sionally put  in  a  week  at  a  time  in  vacation,  as  at 
the  time  when  I  went  down  the  lake  to  find  you. 
That  was  their  last  cruise ;  and  they  were  dis- 
charged, so  to  speak,  two  weeks  ago." 

"Are  you  going  to  ship  another  crew  like  that, 
uncle  Royal?"  inquired  Dory  eagerly. 

"  Not  as  I  did  the  last  one.  I  am  going  to  estab- 
lish a  sort  of  practical  school,"  replied  the  captain. 


336  AT.T.   ADRIFT;    OB, 

"  I  should  like  to  ship  for  one,"  added  Dory. 

"I  have  had  my  eye  on  the  members  of  the 
Goldwing  Club,  for  they  are  just  the  boys  I  de- 
sire to  take.  I  don't  want  any  sons  of  rich  men. 
I  want  those  who  need  looking  after,  and  I  think 
the  Goldwings  fill  the  bill.  I  shall  take  only  half 
a  dozen  to  begin  with.  I  want  them  all  to  come 
to  Beech  Hill,  and  live  here.  I  won't  take  them 
on  any  other  terms.  I  shall  look  out  for  their 
book-learning ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  the  boys 
must  become  carpenters  and  machinists.  They 
must  work  at  these  trades,  and  others  as  the  plan 
is  enlarged.  I  shall  keep  them  busy  all  day  long, 
from  one  end  of  the  year  to  the  other.  We  shall 
build  houses,  boats,  bridges,  wharves,  and  even- 
tually steam-engines,  and  various  kinds  of  ma- 
chinery. I  expect  to  see  the  time,  though  it  may 
not  be  for  ten  years,  when  we  can  build  a  steamer 
like  the  Sylph,  including  her  engine,  and  about 
every  thing  on  board  of  her." 

"  It  seems  to  me  you  are  laying  out  a  great  un- 
dertaking, Royal,"  said  Mrs.  Dornwood. 

"  If  I  can  make  honest  and  useful  men  out  of 
even  half  a  dozen  boys  like  the  members  of  the 
Goldwing  Club,  who  are  in  danger  of  going  to 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  337 

ruin,  my  money  will  be  well  spent.  A  kind 
Providence  permitted  me  to  make  a  fortune  be- 
fore I  was  forty-five,  though  I  had  to  work  hard 
for  it.  I  have  no  wife,  no  children.  I  think  I 
can  realize  more  enjoyment  from  a  portion  of  my 
money  in  this  way  than  I  can  in  any  other.  It  is 
wholly  to  my  taste  and  fancy,  this  scheme  of  mine ; 
and  it  holds  out  to  me  a  thousand  times  as  much 
pleasure  as  any  business  enterprise  I  can  think  of. 
That's  the  whole  of  it,  Patty." 

*'  It  is  a  good  deal  better  to  use  your  fortune  in 
that  way  than  to  risk  it  in  speculating  in  stocks, 
as  a  great  many  rich  men  do,"  added  Mrs.  Dorn- 
wood  sagely.  "  But  it  seems  to  me  that  you 
mean  to  work  the  boys  very  hard,  —  from  morn- 
ing till  night  from  one  year's  end  to  the  other." 

"  But  I  mean  that  they  shall  have  abundance 
of  recreation.  They  will  be  the  crew  of  the 
Sylph ;  they  shall  have  hours  for  their  games ; 
they  shall  have  plenty  of  reading,  both  for  recre- 
ation and  for  study :  and  if  they  don't  enjoy 
themselves  from  morning  till  night,  and  from  one 
end  of  the  year  to  the  other,  it  will  be  my  fault 
as  well  as  their  own." 

"  When  will  this  thing  begin  ?  "  asked  Dory. 


338  ALL,  ADRIFT;  OR, 

"  I  intend  to  make  a  beginning  by  the  first  of 
September  next.  Patty,  you  must  move  up  to 
Beech  Hill  at  once,  now  that  Theodore  has  given 
up  the  boating-business.  You  may  tell  the  other 
members  of  the  Goldwing  Club  all  about  my  plan, 
my  boy.  I  have  seen  the  parents  of  some  of  them. 
They  can  see  their  friends  as  often  as  they  please, 
and  spend  Sunday  at  home  if  they  wish.  If  you 
see  any  other  boys  like  those  of  your  club,  you 
may  report  them  to  me;  but  don't  ask  them  to 
come  to  the  school,  or  hold  out  any  inducements 
to  them.  I  must  pick  the  boys  myself." 

"But  I  must  take  time  to  sell  the  boat  I 
bought,"  suggested  Dory. 

"You  needn't  sell  her,  Theodore.  I  have  no 
sailboat  of  just  her  size,  and  she  may  be  useful. 
Now  keep  cool,  and  remember  that  it  will  take 
some  time  to  get  the  school  into  running  order, 
and  fit  up  our  shops.  But  we  will  begin  the 
scholastic  work  at  once,  so  that  the  boys  will  not 
lose  what  they  have  learned  in  school." 

Captain  Gildrock  talked  about  his  plan  till 
dinner-time;  and  the  skipper  of  the  Goldwing 
was  so  delighted  with  it,  that  he  felt  as  though  he 
wanted  to  fly.  He  went  all  over  the  estate  at 


THE  GOLDWING  CLUB.  339 

Beech  Hill,  and  examined  the  boats  with  a  pro- 
fessional eye.  In  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  the 
family  started  for  home  in  the  schooner. 

In  the  evening  Dory  went  to  see  all  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Goldwing  Club,  and  their  eyes  were 
as  big  as  saucers  while  they  listened  to  the  notable 
scheme  of  the  retired  shipmaster.  They  were  quite 
as  enthusiastic  as  Dory  over  the  idea.  The  next 
day  their  mothers  had  consented  to  their  joining  the 
embryo  school,  which  was  as  yet  without  a  name. 

Mrs.  Dornwood  gave  up  her  house,  and  at  the 
end  of  a  week  Dory  sailed  the  family  up  to  their 
new  home  at  Beech  Hill.  The  other  boys  were 
to  come  up  on  the  first  day  of  September,  which 
was  two  weeks  hence.  Though  the  Sylph  was 
without  a  crew,  the  captain  made  up  one,  and  they 
visited  various  parts  of  the  lake  on  business  and 
for  pleasure.  Mr.  Jepson,  who  had  first  come  to 
Beech  Hill  as  the  engineer  of  the  steam-yacht, 
resumed  his  old  position.  Dory  was  wheelman, 
and  a  couple  of  men  who  worked  on  the  place  did 
duty  as  deck-hands.  Dory  liked  this  position  as 
pilot  even  better  than  sailing  the  Goldwing, 
though  his  services  were  often  in  demand  as  skip- 
per of  the  schooner. 


340  ALL  ADRIFT. 

For  more  than  a  year  Dory  had  felt  as  though 
he  were  all  adrift  in  the  world.  He  wanted  to 
get  some  steady  work  by  which  he  could  help  sup- 
port the  family.  He  had  not  succeeded  very  well. 
But  now,  for  the  first  time  since  he  had  come  to 
think  for  himself,  he  did  not  feel  as  though  he 
was  All  Adrift  in  the  world.  He  was  settled  with 
the  future  before  him,  and  he  was  resolved  that 
it  should  be  filled  with  good  work. 

He  read  in  the  newspaper  that  Pearl  Hawlin- 
shed  had  been  sent  to  the  state  prison  for  a  year 
and  a  half;  and  he  could  not  help  thinking  what 
a  terrible  thing  it  was  for  a  young  man  who  had 
a  kind  and  devoted  father,  whose  existence  had 
been  bound  up  in  him,  to  come  to  a  bad  end. 

Dory  Dornwood  was  no  longer  "  All  Adrift ; " 
and  the  Gold  wing  Club  were  anchored  with  him. 
In  another  volume  we  shall  look  in  upon  them  in 
their  "Snug  Harbor"  as  "The  Champlain  Me- 
chanics." 


YOUNG  FOLKS  TROPHIES  OF  TRAVEL. 


OUR  BOYS  IN  INDIA : 

The   Wanderings  of  two  Young  Americans  in  Hindostan, 
with  their  exciting  adventures  on  the  Sacred  Rivers 

and  Wild  Mountains. 
BY  HARRY  W.  'FRENCH, 

Author  of  "  Castle  Foam,"  "  Ego,"  "  Nuna  th«  Bramin  Girl,"  "  Gemi 

of  Genius,"  etc. 
With  145  illustrations.     Royal  Octavo,  7x91-2  inches.     Bound  in  emblematical 

covers  of  Oriental  design,  $1.75.  Cloth,  black  and  gold,  $2.50. 
The  great  Indian  Empire  is  the  champion  land  for  romance  and  adventure. 
In  this  story  a  little  Yankee  lad  is  kidnapped  from  his  home.  By  the  aid  of  a 
detective,  an  older  brother,  a  lad  of  16  years,  traces  him  to  India.  The  adventures 
of  the  two,  one  as  a  captive,  the  other  as  a  rescuer,  in  different  parts  of  the  empire, 
are  thrilling,  dealing  as  they  do  with  the  Natives,  the  Snake  Charmers  and  Jug- 
glers, Royal  Personages  and  Mountaineers,  Tiger  Hunts,  Elephant  and  Rhinoceros 
Fights.  The  descriptions  of  Scenery,  Customs  and  Wonders  are  graphic  and 
instructive.  Many  of  the  illustrations  are  from  special  photographs  taken  for  the 
author  while  in  India. 

DRIFTING  ROUND  THE  WORLD; 

A  BOY'S  ADVENTURES  BY  SEA  AND  LAND. 

BY  CAPT.  CHARLES  W.  HALL. 

Author  of  "  Adrift  in  the  Ice-fields,"  "  The  Great  Bonanza,"  etc.  With  numer- 
ous full-page  and  letter-press  illustrations.  Royal  Octavo,  of  which  new  editions 
are  now  ready.  Handsome  cover,  $1-75.  Cloth,  gilt,  $2.50. 

If  a  handsomer  or  more  enjoyable  book  for  boys  has  been  issued,  or  is  yet  to 
issue,  from  the  press  in  time  for  Christmas,  we  would  like  to  see  it.  Rob  Randall 
is  the  name  of  the  boy  whose  adventures  form  the  material  for  this  story.  Rob, 
like  many  another  boy  of  his  years,  has  a  hankering  after  travel,  and  he  is  des- 
tined to  get  his  fill  of  it.  He  ships  on  board  a  schooner  bound  to  Greenland,  is  chip- 
wrecked  on  the  coast  of  Labrador,  visits  Iceland,  skips  down  to  and  through 
Scotland,  England  France,  Holland,  Russia,  Asia,  and  heaven  knows  where  else 
besides,  until,  having  travelled  this  wide  world  all  over,  he  lights  in  at  last  at  San 
Francisco,  and  finally  brings  up  at  his  place  of  beginning  —  the  little  village  of 
Stonehaven,  on  the  coast  of  New  England.  Rob,  in  one  respect,  is  like  Japhet 
that  Captain  Marryatt  has  written  about  — he  was  off  on  these  travels  of  his  in 
search  of  his  father.  The  book  is  full  of  information,  and  is  written  in  a  style  that 
cannot  fail  to  command  the  attention  of  its  readers.  The  scenes  which  it  portrays 
are  illnstrated  by  200  beautiful  pictures. — Pitttburg  Times. 

***  Sold  by  all  Booksellers  and  Newsdealers. 

LEE  AND  SHEPABD,  Publishers,  Boston. 


YOUNG  FOLKS'  TROPHIES  OF  TRAVEL. 


With  the  Young  Americans  in  tht  Land  of  the  Kiting  Sun. 

CIII  OF  WHO ; 

OR, 

Tie  Fnrtler  AJyentnres  of  the  Jewett  Family  and  tleir 
Frienl  Oto  Haiti 

BY    EDWARD    GREEY. 

Author  of  "  Young  Americans  in  Japan,"  "  The  Golden  Lotus,"  etc.  With  one 
hundred  and  sixty-nine  illustrations.  Royal  Octavo,  7x91-*  inches,  with  cover 
in  gold  and  colors,  designed  by  the  author,  $1.75.  Cloth,  black  and  gold,  $2.50. 

In  the  great  city  of  the  great  Empire  of  Japan,  which  the  Japanese  themselves 
call  wonderful,  the  Young  Americans  find  new  cause  for  wonder  at  the  strange 
customs  and  curious  sights.  Under  the  guidance  of  "  Oto  Nambo,"  their  staunch 
friend,  they  assist  at  a  fire,  dine  at  Tokio  restaurants,  are  entertained  by  Amateur 
performers,  visit  all  the  points  of  interest,  and  meet  with  many  adventures;  but 
the  most  interesting  part  of  the  book  to  American  boys  will  be  the  visits  to  and 
descriptions  of  the  different  trades,  many  of  which  are  illustrated,  and  all  of  which 
are  described,  from  the  "  seller  of  folded  fans  "  to  the  maker  of  "  broiled  bean 
curd."  Fully  equal  in  interest  and  uniform  with 

IOUIG  AffilCAIS  II  JAPAN; 

OR, 

Tie  AJyentnres  of  tie  Jewett  Family  ani  tleir  Friend 


BY  EDWARD  GREEY, 

With  one  hundred  and  seventy  full-page  and  letter-press  illustrations.     Royal 

Octavo,  7x91-2  inches.     Handsomely  illuminated  cover,  $1.75 ;  Cloth,  black  and 

gold,  $2.50.    A  new  edition  of  which  is  now  ready. 

Mr.  EDWARD  GRE£Y  was  a  member  of  the  famous  expedition  which  in  1854 
caused  "  the  land  of  the  Rising  Sun  "  to  be  opened  to  Eastern  civilization.  He 
afterward  returned  to  Japan,  "  living  among  its  estimable  people,  studied  their 
language  and  literature,  and  what  they  termed  'learned  their  hearts.'  "  He  is  thus 
qualified  to  be  a  trustworthy  guide  to  this,  the  youngest  and  oldest  of  nations. 
His  pen-pictures  of  Japanese  scenery  and  customs  are  graphic,  and  by  the  intro- 
duction of  spicy  conversation  are  made  dramatic.  Markets  and  bazaars,  shake 
shops,  and  Buddhist  temples,  jin-riki-shas  and  jugglers,  are  all  brought  before  the 
eye. 

Sold  by  all  booksellers  and  newsdealers,  and  sent  by  mail,  postpaid,  on  receipt 
of  price. 

LEE  AND  SHEPARD,  Publishers,  Boston. 


LEE  AND  SHEPARD'S  HANDBOOKS. 


PRONOUNCING   HANDBOOK 

Of  three  thousand  words  often  mispronounced,  and  of  words  as  to  which  a  choice 
of  pronunciation  is  allowed.  By  RICHARD  SOULE  and  LOOMIS  J.  CAMPBELL. 
Price  50  cents. 

HANDBOOK  OF  ENGLISH  SYNONYMS. 

With  an  Appendix  showing  the  correct  use  of  prepositions,  also  a  collection  of 
foreign  phrases.  By  LOOMIS  J.  CAMPBELL.  Cloth.  Price  50  cents. 

HANDBOOK  OF   CONVERSATION. 

Its  Faults  and  its  Graces.  Compiled  by  ANDREW  P.  PEABODY,  D.D.,  LL.D. 
Comprising:  i.  Dr.  Peabody's  Lecture.  2.  Mr.  Trench's  Lecture.  3.  Mr. 
Parry  Gwynn's  "  A  Word  to  the  Wise;  or,  Hints  on  the  Current  Improprieties 
of  Writing  and  Speaking."  4.  Mistakes  and  Improprieties  in  Speaking  and 
and  Writing  corrected.  Cloth.  Price  50  cents. 

TAXIDEEMT  WITHOUT  A  TEACHER, 

Comprising  a  complete  manual  of  instruction  for  preparing  and  preserving  birds, 
animals,  and  fishes;  with  a  chapter  on  hunting  and  hygiene;  together  with 
instructions  for  preserving  eggs  and  making  skeletons,  and  a  number  of  valua- 
ble recipes.  By  WALTER  P.  MANTON,  author  of  "  Field  Botany,"  and 
"  Insects;  How  to  Catch  and  How  to  Prepare  them  for  the  Cabinet."  Illus- 

INSECTS; 

How  to  Catch  and  How  to  Prepare  them  for  the  Cabinet.  Comprising  a  manual 
of  instruction  for  the  field-naturalist.  By  WALTER  P.  MANTON.  Illustrated. 
Cloth.  Price  50  cents. 

FIELD  BOTANY. 

A  handbook  for  the  collector.  Containing  instructions  for  gathering  and  presenr- 
ing  plants,  and  the  formation  of  a  herbarium.  Also  complete  instructions  in 
leaf  photography,  plant  printing,  and  the  skeletonizing  of  leaves.  By  WALTER 
P.  MANTON.  Illustrated.  Price  50  cents. 


•JSold  by  all  booksellers  and  newsdealers,  or  sent  by  mail  postpaid  on 
receipt  of  price.    Catalogues  mailed  free, 

LEE  AND  SHEPARD    -    -    -   -    PUBLISHERS. 

47  FRANKLIN  STREET,  BOSTON. 


LEE  AND  SHEPARD^S  HANDBOOKS. 

HINTS  AND  HELPS 

For  those  who  Write,  Print,  or  Read.     By   BENJAMIN  DREW,  Proof-reader. 

Price  50  cents. 

This  is  a  practical  work,  by  a  practical  man  who  has  had  many  years  of  expe- 
rience as  a  proof-reader,  and  gives  the  most  valuable  information  to  all  who 
write,  print,  or  read. 

HANDBOOK  OF  LIGHT  GYMNASTICS. 

By  LUCY  B.  HUNT,  Instructor  in  Gymnastics  at  Smith  (Female)  College, 
Northampton,  Mass.  Price  50  cents, 

PRACTICAL  BOAT-SAILING. 

By  DOUGLAS  FRAZAR.  Classic  size,  $1.00.  With  numerous  diagrams  and  illus- 
trations. 

A  concise  and  simple  treatise  on  the  management  of  small  boats  and  yachts, 
under  all  conditions,  with  explanatory  chapters  on  ordinary  sea-manoeuvres,  the 
use  of  sails,  helm,  and  anchor,  and  advice  as  to  what  is  proper  to  be  done  in  differ- 
ent emergencies;  supplemented  by  a  vocabulary  of  nautical  terms, 

HANDBOOK   OF  PUNCTUATION, 

And  Other  Typographical  Matters.     For  the  use  ot"  printers,  authors,  teachers, 

and  scholars.     By  MARSHALL  T.  BIGELOW, Corrector  at  the  University  Press, 

Cambridge,  Mass.     i&no.     Cloth.     50  cents. 

"  I  cordially  recommend  it  to  all  authors,  printers,  and  men  of  letters."  —  I. 
AUSTIN  AU.IHONE. 

"  We  have  found  it  so  useful  that  we  wish  to  make  a  special  commendation  of 
it."  —  New-England  Journal  of  Education. 

HANDBOOK  OF  ELOCUTION  SIMPLIFIED. 

By  WALTER  K.  FOBES,  with'an  introduction  by  GEORGE  M.  BAKER.  Cloth, 
50  cents. 

SHOBT  STUDIES  OF  AMEBICAN  AUTHOBS. 
By  THOMAS  WENTWORTH  HIGGINSON.    Price  50  cents. 

HANDBOOK  OF  WOOD  ENGRAVING. 

With  Practical  Instructions  m  the  Art  for  persons  wishing  to  learn  without  an 
Instructor.  Containing  a  Description  of  Tools  and  Apparatus  used,  and  Ex- 
plaining the  Manner  of  Engraving  the  Various  Classes  of  Work ;  also  a  History 
of  the  Art  from  its  Origin  to  the  Present  time.  By  WILUAM  A.  EMERSON, 
Wood  Engraver.  New  Edition.  Illustrated.  Price  $i  .00. 

THE  STABS  AND  THE  EAETH; 

Or,  Thoughts  open  Space,  Time,  and  Eternity.  With  an  Introduction  by  THOMAS 
Hiu.,  D J>.,  LL.D.,  late  President  of  Harvard  University.  Cloth,  50  cents. 


*»*•&>**  oy  »ll  Booksellers  and  Newsdealers,  or  sent  oy  mail  frsffiaid  on 
receipt  of  ^rice.     Catalogue*  mailed  free. 

LEE  AND  SHEPARD         -    -    -     PUBLISHERS, 

47  FRANKLIN  STREET,  BOSTON. 


YOUNG  FOLKS'  HEROES  OF  HISTORY. 

By  GEORGE   MAKEPEACE  TOWLE. 

Handsomely  Illustrated.    Price  per  vol.,  $1.25.    Sets  In  neat  boxes. 
VASCO     DA     GAMA: 

HIS    VOYAGES     AND     ADVENTURES. 

"Da  Gama's  history  is  full  of  striking  adventures,  thrilling  incidents,  and 
perilous  situations;  and  Mr.  Towle,  while  not  sacrificing  historical  accuracy, 
has  so  skilfully  used  his  materials,  that  we  have  a  charmingly  romantic  tale." 
—  Rural  New-Yorker. 

PIZ  ARRO: 
HIS    ADVENTURES    AND    CONQUESTS. 

"  No  hero  of  romance  possesses  greater  power  to  charm  the  youthful  reader 
than  the  conqueror  of  Peru.  Not  even  King  Arthur,  or  Thaddeus  of  War- 
saw, has  the  power  to  captivate  the  imagination  of  the  growing  boy.  Mr. 
Towle  has  handled  his  subject  in  a  glowing  but  truthful  manner;  and  we 
venture  the  assertion,  that,  were  our  children  led  to  read  such  books  as  this, 
the  taste  for  unwholesome,  exciting,  wrong-teaching  boys'  books — dime 
novels  in  books'  clothing — would  be  greatly  diminished,  to  the  great  gain  of 
mental  force  and  moral  purpose  in  the  rising  generation." — Chicago  Alliance. 

MAGELLAN; 

OR,  THE    FIRST   VOYAGE    ROUND    THE    WORLD. 

"  What  more  of  romantic  and  spirited  adventures  any  bright  boy  could 
want  than  is  to  be  found  in  this  series  of  historical  biography,  it  is  difficult 
to  imagine.  This  volume  is  written  in  a  most  sprightly  manner;  and  the 
life  of  its  hero,  Fernan  Magellan,  with  its  rapid  stride  from  the  softness  of 
a  petted  youth  to  the  sturdy  courage  and  persevering  fortitude  of  manhood, 
makes  a  tale  of  marvellous  fascination." —  Christian  Union. 

MARCO    POLO: 

HIS  TRAVELS  AND  ADVENTURES. 
•'.The  story  of  the  adventurous  Venetian,  who  six  hundred  years  ago  pene- 
trated into  India  and  Cathay  and  Thibet  and  Abyssinia,  is  pleasantly  and 
clearly  told;  and  nothing  better  can  be  put  into  the  hands  of  the  school  boy 
or  girl  than  this  series  of  the  records  of  noted  travellers.  The  heroism  dis- 
played by  these  men  was  certainly  as  great  as  that  ever  shown  by  conquering 
warrior ;  and  it  was  exercised  in  a  far  nobler  cause,  —  the  cause  of  knowledge 
and  discovery,  which  has  made  the  nineteenth  century  what  it  is." — Graphic. 

RALEGH: 

HIS    EXPLOITS    AND    VOYAGES. 

•'This  belongs  to  the  '  Young  Folks'  Heroes  of  History  '  series,  and  deal* 
•with  a  greater  and  more  interesting  man  than  any  of  its  predecessors.  With 
all  the  black  spots  on  his  fame,  there  are  few  more  brilliant  and  striking 
figures  in  English  history  than  the  soldier,  sailor,  courtier,  author,  and  ex- 
plorer, Sir  Walter  Ralegh.  Even  at  this  distance  of  time,  more  than  two 
hundred  and  fifty  years  after  his  head  fell  on  the  scaffold,  we  cannot  read  his 
story  without  emotion.  It  is  graphically  written,  and  is  pleasant  reading, 
not  only  for  young  folks,  but  for  old  folks  with  young  hearts."—  Woman's 


DRAKE: 
THE    SEA-LION    OF    DEVON. 

Drake  was  the  foremost  sea-captain  of  his  age,  the  first  English  admiral 
to  send  a  ship  completely  round  the  world,  the  hero  of  the  magnificent 
victory  which  the  English  won  over  the  Invincible  Armada.  His  career  was 
stirring,  bold,  and  adventurous,  from  early  youth  to  old  age. 

Sold  by  all  Booksellers,  and  sent  by  mail,  postpaid,  on  receipt  of  price. 
LEE  &  SHEPARD,  Publishes    ....    BOSTON. 


BOOKS   OF  TRAVEL. 


OVER   THE    OCEAN; 

OR, 

SIGHTS    AND    SCENES    IN    FOREIGN    LANDS. 

By  CURTIS  GUILD,  editor  of  "  The  Boston  Commercial  Bulletin."    Crown  8va 

Cloth.    $2.50. 

"  This  is  certainly  a  collection  of  some  of  the  most  perfect  pen-pictures  of  sights 
and  scenes  in  foreign  lands  we  have  ever  seen."  —  A  lit  on. 

ABROAD    AGAIN; 

OR, 

FRESH    FORAYS    IN    FOREIGN    FIELDS. 
Uniform  with  "  Over  the  Ocean."    By  the  same  author.    Crown  8vo.  Cloth.  $2.50. 

AN   AMERICAN    GIRL   ABROAD. 

By  Miss  ADELINE  TRAFTON,  author  of  "  His  Inheritance,"  "  Katherine  Earle," 

&c.     i6mo.     Illustrated.     $1.50. 

" '  The  American  Girl'  is  a  bright,  good,  merry-hearted  girl,  off  for  a  good  time: 
and  her  readers  are  of  the  opinion  that  the  journey  was  a  decided  success." — 
Liberal  Christian. 

BEATEN    PATHS; 

OR, 

A     WOMAN'S     VACATION. 

By  ELLA  W.  THOMPSON.    i6mo.    Cloth.    $1.50. 

"  The  author  seems  to  have  hit  on  just  the  most  charming  things  to  see,  and 
talks  of  them  in  a  charming  manner."  —  Tribune. 

A  THOUSAND  MILES*  WALK  ACROSS  SOUTH 
AMERICA, 

OVER    THE    PAMPAS    AND    THE    ANDES. 
By  NATHANIEL  H.  BISHOP.  iamo.    Illustrated.    $1.50. 

VOYAGE  OF  THE  PAPER  CANOE. 

A  Geographical  Journey  of  Twenty-five  Hundred  Miles  from  Quebec  to  the  Oulf 
of  Mexico.  By  the  same  author.  With  numerous  illustrations  and  maps 
specially  prepared  for  this  work.  Crown  8vo.  $2.50. 

FOUR   MONTHS    IN   A   SNEAK-BOX. 

A  Boat- Voyage  of  Twenty-six  Hundred  Miles  down  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi 
Rivers,  and  along  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  By  the  same  author.  With  nu- 
merous maps  and  illustrations.  $2.50. 

CAMPS    IN   THE    CARIBBEES. 

Being  the  Adventures  of  a  Naturalist  Bird-Hunting  in  the  West  India  Islands. 
By  FRED  A.  OBER.    Crown  8vo.     With  maps  and  illustrations.   $2.50. 

For  tale  by  all  booksellers  and  newsdealers,  and  tent  by  mail,  postpaid,  cm 
receipt  of  price. 

LEE  &  SHEPARD,  Publishers Boston. 


BOOKS    FOR    "OUR    GIRLS." 

THE   MAIDENHOOD    SERIES. 

By    Popular  Authors. 


SEVEN   DAUGHTERS. 

By  Miss  A.  M.  DOUGLAS,  Author  of  "In  Trust,"  "Stephen  Dane,"  "Claudia," 
"  Sydnie  Adriance,"  "  Home  Nook,"  "  Nelly  Kennard's  Kingdom." 

xamo,  cloth,  illustrated.     $1.50. 

"  A  charming  romance  of  Girlhood,"  full  of  incident  and  humor.  The  "  Seven 
Daughters"  are  characters  which  reappear  in  some  of  Miss  Douglas'  later  books.  Jn 
this  book  they  form  a  delightful  group,  hovering  on  the  verge  of  Womanhood,  with 
all  the  little  perplexities  of  home  life  and  love  dreams  as  incidentals,  making  a  fresh  and 
attractive  story. 

OUR   HELEN. 

By  SOPHIE  MAY.    iamo,  cloth,  illustrated.    $1.50. 

"  The  story  is  a  very  attractive  one,  as  free  from  the  sensational  and  impossible  as 
could  be  desired,  and  at  the  same  time  full  of  interest,  and  pervaded  by  the  same  bright, 
cheery  sunshine  that  we  find  in  the  author's  earlier  books.  She  is  to  be  congratulated 
on  the  success  of  her  essay  in  anew  field  of  literature,  to  which  she  will  be  warmly  wel- 
comed by  those  who  know  and  admire  her  '  Prudy  Books.' "  —  Graphic. 

THE   ASBURY    TWINS. 

By  SOPHIE  MAY,  Author  of  "The  Doctor's  Daughter,"  "Our  Helen,"  &c.     121110, 

cloth,  illustrated.    $1.50. 

"  Has  the  ring  of  genuine  genius,  and  the  sparkle  of  a  gem  of  the  first  water.  We 
read  it  one  cloudy  winter  day,  and  it  was  as  good  as  a  Turkish  bath,  or  a  three  hours' 
soak  in  the  sunshine." —  Cooperstown  Republican. 

THAT   QUEER    GIRL. 

By  Miss  VIRGINIA  F.  TOWNSBND,  Author  of  "  Only  Girls,"  &c.    nmo,  cloth,  illus- 
trated.   $1.50. 

Queer  only  in  being  unconventional,  brave  and  frank,  an  "  old-fashioned  girl,"  and 
very  sweet  and  charming.  As  indicated  in  the  tide,  is  a  little  put  of  the  common  track, 
and  the  wooing  and  the  winning  are  as  queer  as  the  heroine.  The  New  Haven 
Register  says:  "  Decidedly  the  best  work  which  has  appeared  from  the  pen  of  Miss 
Townsend." 

RUNNING    TO    WASTE. 

The  Story  of  a  Tomboy.      By  GEORGE  M.  BAKER.      :6mo,  cloth,  illustrated. 
$1.50. 

"  This  book  is  one  of  the  most  entertaining  we  have  read  for  a  long  time.  It  is  well 
written,  full  of  humor,  and  good  humor,  and  it  has  not  a  dull  or  uninteresting  page. 
It  is  lively  and  natural,  and  overflowing  with  the  best  New  England  character  and 
traits.  There  is  also  a  touch  of  pathos,  which  always  accompanies  humor,  in  the  life 
and  death  of  the  tomboy's  mQ\.\\e.i."—Ne'wburyport  Herald. 

DAISY    TR AVERS; 

Or  the  Girls  of  Hive  Hall.    By  ADELAIDE  F.  SAMUELS,  Author  of  "  Dick  and 

Daisy  Stories,"  "  Dick  Travers  Abroad,"  &c.     i6mo,  cloth,  illustrated.     $1.50. 

The  story  of  Hive  Hall  is  full  of  life  and  action,  and  told  in   the  same   happy 

styje  which  made  the  earlier  life  of  its  heroine  so  attractive,  and  caused  the  Dick  and 

Daisy  "books  to  become  great  favorites  with  the  young.     What  was  said  of  the  younger 

books  can,  with  equal  truth,  be  said  of  Daisy  grown  up. 


The  above  six  books  art  furnished  in  a  handsome  box  for  $Q.OO,  or  told 
separate,  by  all  booksellers,  and  sent  by  mail ',  postpaid ',  on  receipt  of  price. 

LEE  AND  SHEPARD,  Publishers Boston. 


A     000026022     4 


